1. Dendron-protected Au nanoparticles--effect of dendritic structure on chemical stability
- Author
-
Ian Ashworth, Victor Chechik, David K. Smith, Colin Brennan, and Christine S. Love
- Subjects
Anthracenes ,Dendrimers ,Nanostructure ,Time Factors ,Molecular Structure ,Chemistry ,Surface Properties ,Chemical structure ,Nanoparticle ,Nanotechnology ,Branching (polymer chemistry) ,Ligands ,Surfaces, Coatings and Films ,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials ,Biomaterials ,Colloid and Surface Chemistry ,Chemical engineering ,Colloidal gold ,Dendrimer ,Nanoparticles ,Chemical stability ,Gold ,Particle Size ,Hybrid material - Abstract
A series of gold nanoparticles stabilised by ‘Newkome-type’ dendritic branching has been synthesised and fully characterised. In particular, the properties and behaviour of these hybrid materials are compared with those of a previously reported set of nanoparticles stabilised by dendrons constructed using l -lysine building blocks. The rates of cyanide-induced nanoparticle decomposition were determined, and it was found that the rate of decomposition increased on the introduction of dendritic branching. Furthermore, ‘Newkome-type’ dendrons were significantly more effective at protecting the encapsulated gold nanoparticle than the l -lysine based dendrons. It is proposed that this observation can be explained on the basis of more effective packing and surface coverage by the ‘Newkome-type’ dendrons. Importantly, this study therefore demonstrates that the organic chemical structure of dendritic ligands plays a crucial role in controlling the reactivity of self-assembled hybrid nanostructures.
- Published
- 2006