title: Solubility of gold nanoparticles as a function of ligand shell and alkane solvent.
abstract: The solubility of ca. 5.0 nm gold nanoparticles was studied systematically as a function of ligand shell and solvent. The ligands were octane-, decane-, dodecane- and hexadecanethiols; the solvents were the n-alkanes from hexane to hexadecane and toluene. Supernatant concentrations in equilibrium with precipitated superclusters of nanoparticles were measured at room temperature (23 °C) with UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The solubility of nanoparticles ligated with decane- and dodecanethiol was greatest in n-decane and n-dodecane, respectively. In contrast, the solubility of nanoparticles ligated with octane- and hexadecanethiol showed decreasing solubility with increasing solvent chain length. In addition the solubility of the octanethiol ligated system showed a nonmonotonic solvent carbon number functionality with even numbered solvents being better solvents than neighboring odd numbered solvents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Chemistry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506-2601, USA.
authors.forename: Brandon C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Lohman
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.forename: Sreeram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cingarapu
authors.forename: Christer B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Aakeroy
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chakrabarti
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Klabunde
authors.forename: Bruce M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Sorensen