Stability and catalytic activity of hyperbranched polyglycerol stabilized gold nanofluids

A gold nanofluid with good suspension stability was prepared using hyperbranched polyglycerol (HPG) as a stabilizer because of the functional hydroxyl groups at the end of every branch in its structure. The effects of reaction-medium pH and temperature on the preparation of the HPG-gold nanofluids were discussed. The influences of pH on the stability of HPG-gold nanofluids after preparation were investigated. The HPG-gold nanofluid was employed as catalyst for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol. The results showed that HPG-Au nanofluid stabilized at high pH range (pH = 10). The nanofluid exhibited high activity in the catalytic hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol. The HPG-gold nanofluid was promising for applications of quasi-homogeneous catalysis.