From a precursor to an etchant: spontaneous inversion of the role of Au(iii) chloride for one-pot synthesis of smooth and spherical gold nanoparticles.

We report the inversion of the role of Au(iii) chloride, from a gold precursor to an etchant, for the synthesis of smooth and spherical AuNPs with nanoscale size tunability in a one-pot-system. Inversion of the role of Au(iii) chloride was achieved by regulating the ratio between the reducing agent and Au(iii) chloride.