Urea based amphiphiles as hydro/organogelators: Versatile hosts for in situ synthesis of gold nanoparticles

ORGN 173

Praveen Kumar Vemula, praveen@sci.ccny.cuny.edu, Department of Chemistry, MR-1227, City College of New York, City University of New York, Convent Avenue, 138th street, New York, NY 10031 and George John, john@sci.ccny.cuny.edu, Department of Chemistry, The City College of New York, CUNY, Convent Avenue at 138th Street, New York, NY 10031.
Gels represent one example of soft nanomaterials, whereby the self-assembly of low molecular weight amphiphiles into nanoscale fibers that entangle to form three dimensional (3D) fibrous networks results in the macromolecular organization of liquids into solid or semi-solid gels. However, there are no procedures to synthesize nanoparticles by using in situ methods in gels. We developed urea-based aryl derivatives as gelators, which showed excellent gelation ability in broad range of solvents from water to cyclohexane. These gelators were successfully used for the first time in the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) as reducing and capping agents. In situ generation of GNPs in hydrogels resulted generation of GNPs decorated sheets. Importantly, after reduction of gold gelators retains their gelation properties intact hence entrapped the GNPs in the supramolecular assemblies. Resulted GNPs embedded gels were characterized by using various techniques such as 1H-NMR, X-ray diffraction, transmission and scanning electron microscopy.
 

Total Synthesis, Materials, Devices and Switches, Molecular Recognition and Self-Assembly, Biologically-Related Molecules and Processes
8:00 PM-10:00 PM, Sunday, August 19, 2007 BCEC -- Exhibit Hall - B2, Poster

Division of Organic Chemistry

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007