Templating gold nanoparticles on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite via self-assembling monolayers

INOR 63

Xiaoliang Wei, Xiaoliang_Wei@brown.edu and Matthew B. Zimmt, Matthew_Zimmt@Brown.EDU. Department of Chemistry, Brown University, 324 Brook Street, Providence, RI 02912
We have shown that anthracene and triptycene molecules bearing long alkyl chains at the 1- and 5- positions form self-patterned, self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on the surface of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite. We have synthesized a triptycene analog, 9,10-dihydro-9,10-ethanoanthracene, bearing a disulfide group off the top CH2 group. These molecules form tightly physisorbed SAMs on HOPG for sufficiently long alkyl chains attached at the 1-, 5- positions of the dihydroanthracene. We report use of these SAMs as templates to organize gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and other nanostructures into ordered arrays on the SAM surface, taking advantage of the strong Au-S bond.