Self-assembly of water-dispersed gold nanoparticles stabilized by a thiolated glycol derivative

Author： Hu Minghui Yamaguchi Yukio Okubo Tatsuya

ISSN： 1388-0764

Source： Journal of Nanoparticle Research, Vol.7, Iss.2-3, 2005-06, pp. : 187-193

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Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) hexagonally close-packed arrays of water-dispersed gold nanoparticles (NPs) on highly hydrophilic sputter-deposited SiO₂ surfaces were fabricated via an evaporation-induced self-assembly process. Using a non-ionic amphiphilic glycol derivative with the thiol head group, 1-mercapto-3,6,9-trioxodecane, as a stabilization ligand, high-concentration Au NPs were stably dispersed in water, and self-assembled into μm-sized well-ordered 2D arrays on SiO₂ surfaces during the solvent evaporation on SiO₂ surfaces. Due to the non-ionic character of the ligand, the particle–particle interactions may only depend on the capillary and van der Waals forces, and not on the electric double-layer forces that change with ion/electrolyte concentrations during the solvent evaporation. This study provides an approach to fabrication of close-packed 2D arrays of water-dispersed NPs instead of using toxicological organic solvent or complex water-organic phase transfer process. Meanwhile, this approach will make it easier to study their self-assembly mechanisms in a variety of solvents by simplifying ambiguous particle–particle interactions.