Anchoring Gold Nanoparticles to Gold Surfaces through Nitroxyl Radicals

Abstract

This report describes the interaction of the gold surface with nitroxyl radicals that can be the basis of a new method for binding gold nanoparticles to gold substrates The gold surface is separated from the gold nanoparticle layer by thiolated TEMPO radicals in the sandwich-like system. TEMPO derivatives that separate gold electrode from the layer of gold nanoparticles were oriented either to or from electrode. In both cases however nitroxyl radicals play the role of binding units. The sandwich assemblies of both types were studied by cyclic voltammetry, scanning tunneling microscopy and far-infrared reflectance spectroscopy proving high efficiency of the method since binding of nanoparticles by means of nitroxyl moiety resulted in higher population of nanoparticles at the electrode surface when compared to the conventional dithiol approach.