A template-confined fabrication of controllable gold nanoparticles based on the two-dimensional nanostructure of macrocycles

Abstract

An amine-substituted macrocycle , a rigid hexagonal ring, self-assembled into network architecture on the surface, which could be used as a molecular template to directly fabricate gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with narrow size distribution (2.2 ± 0.1 nm). This work demonstrated a new pathway for the formation of controllable AuNPs on the surface.

1-nm-Wide Hydrated Dipole Arrays Regulate AuNW Assembly on Striped Monolayers in Nonpolar Solvent

“…Nanoscale patterning of interfaces with inorganic nanostructures is increasingly important in device fabrication and other applications. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Anisotropic nanostructures such as nanorods and nanowires represent an area of particular interest, since they exhibit differences in physical properties along their short and long axes (e.g., distinct transverse and longitudinal plasmon wavelengths) that can be useful in controlling processes including energy conversion. 5,14 Nanostructure films can be created using techniques such as Langmuir-Blodgett or Langmuir-Schaefer transfer, in which ordering is based on contact between ligand shells.…”

Electrostatically Driven Guest Binding in Self-Assembled Molecular Network of Hexagonal Pyridine Macrocycle at the Liquid/Solid Interface: Symmetry Breaking Induced by Coadsorbed Solvent Molecules

“…[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] The other one is the use of macrocycles having an intrinsic porous space. [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41] Although the former approach is favorable in view of the facile modification of size and shape of the porous space, these networks are susceptible to dramatic changes depending on the external environment such as solvent, concentration, and temperature, because network structure is sustained by relatively weak non-covalent interactions.…”

“…For 2D host-guest chemistry using a macrocycle as a host, packing patterns of the host network affect the 2D space arrangement of co-adsorbed guests. In this respect, control of the molecular tiling of the surfaces by triangular, [49][50][51][52] square, 29,34,53 and hexagonal 35,[54][55][56] macrocycles is an important issue.…”

“…It should be mentioned that a closely related butadiynylene macrocycle bearing amino functional groups along the macrocyclic interior was reported by Shu, Zeng, and Wang, who used the macrocycle as a template to control the size of gold nanoparticles deposited on graphite. 35 As guests, we use Tr tetrafluoroborate and trioxatriangulenium (TOTA) hexafluorophosphate 69,70 (Figure 1). The former guest is significantly smaller than the size of the macrocyclic pore, whereas the latter matches better the pore as suggested by the van der Waals diameters of the macrocyclic core of PyBM-C8 and guest cations Tr and TOTA ( Figure S1).…”

“…There are two possible approaches to construct porous spaces for guest binding on surfaces. One is the self-assembly of acyclic building blocks to form extrinsic porous 2D space. − The other is the use of macrocycles having an intrinsic porous space. − Although the former approach is favorable in view of the facile modification of size and shape of the porous space, these networks are susceptible to dramatic changes depending on the external environment such as solvent, concentration, and temperature because network structure is sustained by relatively weak noncovalent interactions. In this respect, robust porous 2D networks (so-called 2D-COFs) − formed by covalent linking of acyclic building blocks on surfaces have been shown to cover this disadvantage, immobilizing guest molecules in size-complement manner. − The latter approach is advantageous in view of the strict control of the physical and chemical environment of the intrinsic porous space, though synthesis of macrocycles is more labor demanding compared to acyclic building blocks.…”