ja064297y_si_001.pdf (1.36 MB)
Ethynylbenzene Monolayers on Gold: A Metal-Molecule Binding Motif Derived from a Hydrocarbon
journal contribution
posted on 2007-03-28, 00:00 authored by Andrew M. McDonagh, Hadi M. Zareie, Michael J. Ford, Christopher S. Barton, Milena Ginic-Markovic, Janis G. MatisonsExposure of a Au(111) surface to ethynylbenzene in solution leads to the formation of a bound
monolayer. A chemisorption process occurs to give a stable layer consisting of oxygen-containing
hydrocarbon species. Ethynylbenzene itself does not oxidize under the deposition conditions indicating
that the gold surface facilitates the oxidation process. Calculations show that ethynylbenzene and its oxidation
products phenylacetic acid and phenyloxirane have positive binding energies to the gold surface. 1,4-Diethynylbenzene also binds to Au(111) and anchors gold nanoparticles deposited from solution to form
dense, semiregular arrays.