Anisotropic Agglomeration of Surface-Modified Gold Nanoparticles in Solution and on Solid Surfaces

Abstract

Anisotropic agglomeration of gold nanoparticles (diameter ca. 6 nm) was induced in aqueous media by modifying the particle surface with various organic thiols. The structural anisotropy of the agglomerates in solution depended on the type of the modifying reagents. Scanning tunneling microscopic images of the agglomerates transferred on gold (111) surfaces show that the agglomerates on the gold surface formed dot-interconnected lines with a single particle width. The length of the dot-interconnected lines was much longer on the surface than that in solution.