title: Single-crystal Au microflakes modulated by amino acids and their sensing and catalytic properties.
abstract: Single-crystal Au microflakes with the planar area over 10(3)μm(2) (i.e. being accessible to the human eye resolution) were synthesized in an environment-friendly route by directing two-dimensional growth of Au nanocrystals into macroscopic scales with amino acids as both reducing agents and capping agents. Side groups of amino acids were found to be a determinant parameter to tune the dimension and size of Au single crystals. The successful synthesis of Au microflakes provides an unprecedented opportunity to bridge nanotechnology and macroscopic devices, and hereby to start a new scenario of exploring their unique properties and applications in optoelectronic devices and bio-sensing fields across multiple length scales. For example, Au microflakes respond to air humidity upon depositing on films of chitin nanofibrils, and sense various physiological molecules as electrode materials of biosensors.
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Based Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Songling Road 189, Qingdao 266101, PR China.
authors.forename: Mingjie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Based Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Songling Road 189, Qingdao 266101, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiaochen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Based Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Songling Road 189, Qingdao 266101, PR China.
authors.forename: Jiyu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Based Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Songling Road 189, Qingdao 266101, PR China.
authors.forename: Qingshan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Based Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Songling Road 189, Qingdao 266101, PR China. Electronic address: licx@qibebt.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Chaoxu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D002384:Catalysis; D003460:Crystallization; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology; D010316:Particle Size; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D006046:Gold
keywords: Biosensor; Chitin nanofibrils; Humidity response; Single-crystal Au microflakes