Due to their labile ligand shell, phosphine-capped metal nanoparticles readily participate in ligand exchange reactions. Such particles are easily assembled into 2-d arrays that can be crosslinked with difunctional molecules, such as alkanedithiols, to form flexible films. However, the use of dithiols bearing embedded, polar functional groups was found to induce the formation of nanoparticle superclusters within the films, transforming the average size of the gold core from 1.4 to 5.0 nm. Dithiols with a range of embedded functional groups (either amides, esters, or ethers) were synthesized and evaluated for their abilty to produce secondary superclusters in 2-d nanoparticle arrays, potentially providing a simple route to creating flexible films of metal nanoparticles with larger core sizes (and thus, different optoelectronic properties) from smaller, more reactive nanoparticle precursors.

Nanoparticle supercluster formation within crosslinked nanoparticle films: The impact of embedded, coordinating functional groups in crosslinking ligands

255th National Meeting (2018)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.