Facile and Green Fabrication of Efficient Au Nanoparticles Catalysts using Plant Extract via a Mesoporous Silica-Assisted Strategy

ABSTRACT In this study, highly dispersed Au nanoparticles supported on mesoporous silica were successfully prepared using avocado leaf extract. Due to the in-situ growth of the Au nanoparticles within the confined geometric space of the silica pores these nanoparticles are on average ≈7.7 nm in diameter, much smaller than those prepared without mesoporous silica (≈20 nm), and within the critical size range required for Au catalysts (