Dendritic nanoparticles-the impact of ligand cross-linking on nanocore stability

This paper describes the synthesis of gold nanoparticles stabilized by two series of new dendritic disulfide ligands with alkene groups at their peripheries. Intraparticle cross-linking of the alkene groups around the periphery of each nanoparticle was achieved by Grubbs' metathesis. It was demonstrated that cross-linking of the organic ligand has no effect on the size or morphology of the inorganic gold core as determined by TEM and UV-vis measurements. However, the introduction of cross-linking at the surface of the ligand enhances the stability of the gold nanocore toward chemical etchant agents (NaCN) and thermal treatment. The impact of cross-linking on nanoparticle stability is greater when the cross-linking is closer to the nanoparticle surface (i.e., using lower generation dendritic ligands). Attempts to perform further synthetic transformation on the hybrid materials in order to remove the gold core led to insoluble products composed predominantly of the dendritic ligand.