title: Organosulfur-functionalized Au, Pd, and Au-Pd nanoparticles on 1D silicon nanowire substrates: preparation and XAFS studies.
abstract: A hybrid preparative method was developed to prepare organosulfur-functionalized Au nanoparticles (NPs) on silicon nanowires (SiNWs) by reacting HAuCl(4) with SiNW in the presence of thiol. A number of organosulfur molecules-dodecanethiol, hexanethiol, 1,6-hexanedithiol, and tiopronin-were used to functionalize the Au surface. Size-selected NPs ranging from 1.6 to 7.5 nm were obtained by varying the S/Au ratio and the concentration of HAuCl(4). This method was further extended to the preparation Pd and Pd-Au bimetallic NPs on SiNWs. The morphology of the metal nanostructures was examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The local structure and bonding of the SiNW-supported metal nanostructures were studied using X-ray absorption fine structures (XAFS) [including both X-ray near-edge structures (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structures (EXAFS)] at the Au L(3)-, Pd K-, S K-, and Si K-edges. It was also found that the annealing of the thiol-capped Au NPs up to 500 degrees C transforms the surface of the thiol-capped NPs to gold sulfide, as identified using Au L(3)- and S K-edge XANES. We also illustrate that this preparative approach can be used to form size-controllable Au NPs on carbon nanotubes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xingtai
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Yuanhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Tsun Kong
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Sham