Thiol-Terminated Di-, Tri-, and Tetraethylene Oxide Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles: A Water-Soluble, Charge-Neutral Cluster

• DOI: 10.1021/cm020007a
• Publication Date: 2002-07-26T06:10:30Z
• Authors: Edward E. Foos; Arthur W. Snow; Mark E. Twigg; Mario G. Ancona
• Keywords: Nanoclusters; Thiol

A series of gold nanoclusters stabilized by ligands containing short ethylene oxide oligomers fixed length were prepared and characterized. The thiols CH3(OCH2CH2)nSH (where n = 2, 3, 4) substituted onto the surface 1.8-nm hexanethiol-capped clusters a thiol-exchange reaction, resulting characterized NMR, FTIR, UV/vis spectroscopies; TGA; TEM analysis. degree ligand exchange greater than 99% was achieved, core diameter remained unchanged in final material. Of particular interest, cluster with 2 water-insoluble, whereas those 3 or 4 water-soluble. thin-film electrical conductivities these compared alkanethiol-capped similar chain lengths found to be roughly 1 order magnitude greater. In chemical vapor sensor configuration, this displayed strong responses that showed correlation between polarity vapor.