Silver-Ion Reduction by Surface X-ray-Induced Radiolysis under Acid Headgroup Amphiphile Molecule Films at the...

There is currently a large research activity on the development of devices based on diacetylene (DA). Interfacing DA films with a metallic substrate appears to be very interesting for applications. In order to create a metallic layer anchored below the diacetylene monolayer, radiolysis synthesis was carried out using the grazing incident X-ray diffraction (GIXD) experiment. An X-ray beam intercepts the surface of an aqueous metallic-ion subphase covered by a molecular film at an angle of incidence below the critical angle for total internal reflection. The irradiation induces a transformation of the initial molecular film in an organic silver-based complex and the formation of a silver film anchored below it. As the radiation proceeds, a second growth regime takes place with the formation of silver-based nanoparticles. The method first developed on fatty acids has been successfully used on diacetylene acid molecules. Although the initial structure differs for both molecules, the transformation induced by X-ray irradiation is very similar, suggesting that it is a generic mechanism driven by the acid hydrophilic headgroup.