Autocatalysis in the Conversion of Silica-supported Au(CH3)2(acac) to Gold Nanoparticles

Quantitative kinetic analysis of the thermal conversion of silica-supported (CH3)2Au(acac) was undertaken to understand the kinetics and mechanism of the transformation to AuNPs, in order to identify the key variables which control their nucleation and growth.  The transformation is both biphasic and autocatalytic.