During the last decade, a new approach to the studying of the chemical properties of superheavy elements was developed. It implies coating silicon detectors with gold and, subsequently, determining the standard adsorption enthalpy of superheavy elements on gold surfaces. Element 113, Nh, showed an enhanced reactivity towards gold, which disabled the proper chemical characterization of this element. As a result, a need for new chemically modified gold-coated silicon detectors has emerged. Detectors of such kind will selectively bind the atoms of interest but with weaker interactions. Meitnerium is expected to be a member of Group IX of the periodic table, and new chemical research is needed to confirm this classification. Initially, the self-assembly of commercially available thiols has been studied on gold-coated silicon chips that mimic functionalized detectors. The main purpose of such devices is to capture radioactive isotopes of iridium and rhodium (meitnerium’s lighter homologs) during online cyclotron-based experiments. The functionalized chips were characterized via atomic force microscopy, cluster secondary-ion mass spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and neutron activation analysis. The dependency of metal adsorption on hydrochloric acid concentration is planned to be studied in the upcoming months. This talk will include the newest online and offline results of the performed experiments.

Characterization of thiolate self assembled monolayers on gold coated silicon chips for future detection of radioactive isotopes

ACS Fall 2021

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