Synthesis, characterization, and charge storage ability of ferrocene-functionalized monolayer protected gold clusters

ANYL 72

Rebecca L. Wolfe, rwolfe@email.unc.edu, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B-5 Venable Hall CB 3290, Univerisity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 and Royce W. Murray, Kenan Laboratories of Chemistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599.
Monolayer protected clusters (MPCs), made up of metal atoms protected and stabilized by an organic shell, have been of great interest due to their remarkable size-dependent optical and electrochemical properties. Gold MPCs with core diameters between ~1.6 nm and ~10 nm display capacitor-like quantized double-layer (QDL) charging in their voltammetry. This continuous one-electron charging of the gold core leads to multiple charges stored on the MPC core within a relatively small potential range. Due to their large capacitance per volume, we are investigating the application of these clusters as remarkable charge storage devices. To further increase the amount of charge that can be stored on these MPCs, ferrocene functionalized thiolates have been used as the protective monolayer of the gold clusters. Presented here will be the synthesis and characterization of these ferrocene-functionalized gold clusters as well as studies into applying these clusters toward charge storage devices, such as supercapacitors.
 

General Papers
7:00 PM-9:00 PM, Sunday, 10 September 2006 Moscone Center -- Hall D, Poster

Division of Analytical Chemistry

The 232nd ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, September 10-14, 2006