Metalized Alkanedithiol Self-Assembled Monolayers (SAM) on Au Surfaces by an In Situ Autocatalytic Mechanism

Here, a simple and general approach was developed for depositing metal nanoparticles on alkanedithiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) based on the spontaneous reduction of metal ions by the free SH sites of SAMs. By immersing the alkanedithiol SAM/Au in a corresponding metalcontaining solution (HAuCl₄, AgNO₃, H₂PtCl₆ and PdSO₄), Au, Ag, Pt and Pd clusters, respectively, could be formed on top of the SAM/Au(111) electrode surface, which was confirmed by STM characterization. The size, morphology and coverage of clusters/islands can be tuned by modulating the immersion time, which allows for possible utilization of the metal/SAM/Au(111) in catalysis, nanoelectronics and biodetection.