The integration of highly monodispersed gold (Au) nanoparticles into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film is developed through a new seeded-growth pathway. Silver (Ag) nanoparticles are used during the synthesis as the reactive seeds to induce the reduction of Au under the UV-irradiation. The narrow surface plasmon resonance confirms the success of preparing gold nanoparticles with narrow size and shape distribution. The as-prepared PVA/Au nanocomposite films show sturdy cohesion between the PVA chains and/or between PVA network and gold nanoparticles. This has led to interest in their use as brand-new product in catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol with NaBH4. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.