The article presents the method of producing
gold nanoparticles using a high voltage
arc discharge of alternating current with a frequency of 50 Hz in distilled water. The equipment necessary to carry out the process is described, including the construction of the reactor and the
power source of a very simple design necessary to generate a high-voltage
arc discharge between the
electrodes.
Arc discharge processes were carried out two times for 2 and 5 minutes, respectively, in ambient conditions without thermostating the reactor, at medium temperature varying in the range of 25-70 °C. The obtained
gold nanoparticles were examined by means of various analytical techniques such as UV-vis spectroscopy, zeta potential measurement, energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD). The morphology, surface, and size of the obtained nanoparticles were carried out using transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The concentration of the obtained
colloids were determined using the mass spectrometry ICP-MS technique. The results show that high-voltage AC
arc discharge is a simple and effective way to obtain stable
gold nanoparticles under environmentally friendly conditions at relatively low production costs, and can be considered as an alternative to
arc discharge nanoparticles synthesis by means of direct current (DC) methods.