5. Electronic properties of gold nanoparticles

5.1 Quantum effects in metal nanoparticles

Electronics is the main industrial outlet for gold producers, as it enables them to produce contacts that are rustproof and therefore stable over time. However, the emerging applications for gold nanoparticles involve completely new phenomena that are only just beginning to be explored. In fact, quantum effects have only been observed in NPs once synthesis has been well mastered, with precisely controlled sizes and good reproducibility. When it comes to quantum properties, the decisive syntheses were the preparation of Monolayer Protected Clusters (Brust, Schiffrin methods, see §