Alternative methods, including green synthetic approaches for the preparation of various types of nanoparticles are important to maintain sustainable development. Extracellular or intracellular extracts of fungi are perfect candidates for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles due to the scalability and cost efficiency of fungal growth even on industrial scale. There are several methods and techniques that use fungi-originated fractions for synthesis of gold nanoparticles. However, there is less knowledge about the drawbacks and limitations of these techniques. Additionally, identification of components that play key roles in the synthesis is challenging. Here we show and compare the results of three different approaches for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles using either the extracellular fraction, the autolysate of the fungi or the intracellular fraction of 29 thermophilic fungi. We observed the formation of nanoparticles with different sizes (ranging between 6 nm and 40 nm) and size distributions (with standard deviations ranging between 30% and 70%) depending on the fungi strain and experimental conditions. We found by using ultracentrifugal filtration technique that the size of reducing agents is less than 3 kDa and the size of molecules that can efficiently stabilize nanoparticles is greater than 3 kDa.

The presence of fluid flow by maintaining the density gradient and controlling the flow rate provides a simple method to modify the microstructure of cobalt oxalate.

Coupling of a pH clock reaction (activation) with lactone hydrolysis (deactivation) can control and drive the self-assembly of pH-responsive building blocks.

† Electronic Supplementary Informa on (ESI) available: TEM images of batch experiments, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms and the corresponding BJH pore size distributions, EDS spectra and top-and side view video recordings from the flow driven precipitate formation. See Growth of cerium phosphate microstructures was examined under mild condition using a flow reaction system. Two entirely different development pathways were identified by which the formation of architecturally different cerium phosphate spherulites could be triggered. The selection between these mechanisms could readily be achieved by the reverse addition of precursors. Structural differences were examined by using scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry and nitrogen sorption measurement. The precipitate flow profiles were examined comprehensively and taken into consideration to interpret the spherulite formation process.The presumed formation mechanisms were approved by time monitored synthesis and HRTEM investigation. Terbium doped counterparts of the pristine spherulites were used to assess the structure related photoluminescent properties.Regardless of the identical crystal phase and chemical composition 30-35% difference in photoluminescent intensity was found between the two types of spherulites, suggesting strong architecture dependent physical properties.

The interaction of an autocatalytic reaction with a fast precipitation reaction is shown to produce a permanent precipitate pattern where the major driving force is differential diffusion. The final structure emerges from the leading transient cellular front, the cusps of which evolve into precipitate free zones. The experimental observations are reproduced by a simple model calculation based on the empirical rate-law of the reaction.