title: Fullerene C60 films cross-linked with octane-1,8-dithiol: preparation, characterization and the use as template for chemical deposition of gold nanoparticles.
abstract: We report on the preparation of fullerene C60 thin films chemically cross-linked with octane-1,8-dithiol, which are capable of binding gold nanoparticles. The formation of a polymer was directly proved by means of laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectra, in which we observed the cleavage of fullerene-dithiol polymer at different bonds. Fourier-transform infrared, Raman and UV-visible spectra of the functionalized films exhibited notorious changes due to the formation of new covalent bonds between C60 molecules and bifunctional thiol. We further demonstrated that the dithiol-functionalized fullerene can be employed as a support for stable and homogeneous deposition of gold nanoparticles. Their average size is about 5 nm according to high-resolution transmission electron microscopy observations, and up to 20 nm, as found from scanning tunneling microscopy images. The proposed binding mechanism is through a strong coordination attachment between Au nanoclusters and sulfur donor atoms of the functionalized fullerene, as supported by density functional theory calculations.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciencias Aplicadas y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Mexico DF, Mexico.
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Meza-Laguna
authors.forename: Elena V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Basiuk
authors.forename: Edgar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alvarez-Zauco
authors.forename: Taras Yu
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Gromovoy
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Amelines-Sarria
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bassiouk
authors.forename: Iván
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Puente-Lee
authors.forename: Vladimir A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Basiuk