Langmuir, 14 (19), 5396 -5401, 1998. la980380q S0743-7463(98)00380-1
Web Release Date: August 14, 1998

Copyright © 1998 American Chemical Society

Formation and Adsorption of Clusters of Gold Nanoparticles onto Functionalized Silica Nanoparticle Surfaces

Sarah L. Westcott, Steven J. Oldenburg, T. Randall Lee, and Naomi J. Halas*

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Rice Quantum Institute, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, and Department of Chemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204

Received April 7, 1998

In Final Form: July 1, 1998

Abstract:

This paper reports a systematic investigation of the growth and attachment of small gold nanoparticles to the functionalized surfaces of larger silica nanoparticles. Dilution of the gold nanoparticles in mixtures of water and ethanol led to the self-assembly of gold nanoparticles in aggregates of regular size and shape attached to the surfaces of the silica nanoparticles. Functionalization of the surfaces of silica nanoparticles with different terminal groups had a profound influence over the coverage of gold nanoparticles and clusters. While the hydrophilic functional groups NH₂ and SH bound the gold nanoparticles, hydrophobic functional groups such as CH₃ and PPh₂ did not. The coverage of the gold nanoparticles and clusters on the surfaces of the silica nanoparticles was evaluated using transmission electron microscopy.

Download the full text: PDF | HTML