Cysteine-assisted growth of silver on gold nanorods

Au–Ag core–shell (Au@Ag) nanobars could be synthesized from gold nanorod (NR) seeds with cysteine additives by a two-step process of reaction temperatures. The lateral sides of gold NRs surrounded by surfactant bilayers render cysteine additives binding on both ends of the NRs, and restricted silver deposition to their lateral sides at room temperature. Further, silver deposition can take place at first on the pre-formed silver layers on the lateral sides at higher temperatures and finally resulted in the formation of Au@Ag nanobars in which gold NRs are in the corner positions of the nanobars and their longitudinal axes parallel to the longer sides of the nanobars.     

Peak shape analysis of Ag 3d core‐level X‐ray photoelectron spectra of Au@Ag core‐shell nanoparticles using an asymmetric Gaussian–Lorentzian mixed function

This article reports on the peak shape analysis of X‐ray photoelectron spectra of gold‐silver core‐shell (Au@Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) using an asymmetric Gaussian–Lorentzian mixed function. Unlike Ag NPs, Au@Ag NPs have no oxide peak and show asymmetric line shape with a high energy tail in Ag 3d core‐level spectra. A monotonic increase in the Ag 3d binding energy and a decrease in the degree of asymmetry with increasing the Ag shell thickness were observed supporting the occurrence of charge transfer from Au core to Ag shell. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Acetonitrile as Adsorbate or Solvent to Probe the Crystal Face Specificity of Metal–Water Interaction at Silver Electrode/Solution Interfaces

The crystal face specificity of metal–water interaction at Ag electrode/solution interfaces is investigated by using acetonitrile (ACN) as a probe molecule of the water interfacial structure or as a solvent in which water is a solute. Capacitance and voltammetric curves suggest that ACN is weakly adsorbed from aqueous solution on Ag in the order (111) > (100) > (110). Apparent inconsistencies of adsorption parameters are explained by the occurrence of two ACN adsorption modes: (i) directly on the metal surface and (ii) on the water layer adsorbed on the metal surface. Ag surface oxidation in ACN in the presence of variable amounts of water suggests that water has an inhibiting effect on Ag oxidation, the diminution of the water content in ACN leading to free anodic dissolution of the metal surface.     

应用于局域表面等离激元共振扫描显微探针的球形Au@Ag纳米粒子的合成及介电敏感性检测

局域表面等离激元共振(LSPR)显微探针的检测灵敏性主要取决于针尖上修饰的纳米粒子的LSPR性质.本文采用阴离子辅助法,在水溶液中通过调节Au核与Ag⁺的物质的量之比,实现Au核上不同厚度的Ag壳层包覆,可控地一步合成均一性好、银壳层较厚(≥10 nm)的核壳比不同的球形Au@Ag纳米粒子.通过扫描电镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)及扫描透射电子显微镜X射线能谱(STM-EDS)线扫描分析对不同核壳比的Au@Ag纳米粒子进行形貌组成表征,证实了所合成核壳结构的可控性.将不同核壳比的Au@Ag纳米粒子置于不同折射率溶液中进行纳米粒子介电敏感性的研究,表明7.5 nm Au@28 nm Ag的纳米结构具有最高的品质因子.同时将不同核壳比的Au@Ag纳米粒子置于不同折射率的非导电性基底上进行单颗纳米粒子散射性质的研究,结果表明7.5 nm Au@28 nm Ag纳米粒子适合作为LSPR显微探针的高检测灵敏性纳米结构之一.     

Growth of Au@Ag Core–Shell Pentatwinned Nanorods: Tuning the End Facets

Au@Ag core–shell nanorods with tunable end facets are obtained by coating Au bipyramids (BPs) with Ag. The resultant nanorods exhibit a pentatwinned crystal structure with tips terminated with either {110} or {111} facets. The control over the end facets is achieved by varying the capping agents and tuning the reduction rate of Ag. Specifically, when Ag is reduced slowly, Au@Ag nanorods with flat {110} end facets are formed with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as the capping agent. If CTAB is replaced with cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC), Au@Ag nanorods with tips terminated with {111} facets are obtained. However, at a high Ag reduction rate, dumbbell‐shaped Au@Ag nanorods are formed, with either CTAB or CTAC as the capping agent. The morphological evolution of the nanorods in each case is closely followed and a growth mechanism is proposed.     

Gold nanorod-seeded growth of silver nanostructures: from homogeneous coating to anisotropic coating

Single crystalline gold nanorods (Au NRs) dominated by {110} side facets were employed as seeds to tailor the deposition of Ag. Apart from homogeneous coating, anisotropic coating of Ag was observed and resulted in an orange slice-like shape for the Au@Ag nanocrystal. Different growth rates for the {110} side facets were responsible for this shape: among the four {110} facets, two of the neighboring {110} facets grew more quickly and another two grew more slowly, thus inducing the anisotropic deposition of Ag around the Au NR. This growth behavior is believed to be a consequence of competition between the strong stabilization of cetyltrimethylammomium bromide (CTAB) molecules to the {110} facets of Ag and minimization of the overall surface energy. Although the reason for the anisotropic coating remains to be clarified, our results lead to one important conclusion: The interaction of CTAB and metal can be utilized to tune the shapes of bimetallic structures.     

Contiguous metal-mediated base pairs comprising two Ag(I) ions

The incorporation of transition‐metal ions into nucleic acids by using metal‐mediated base pairs has proved to be a promising strategy for the site‐specific functionalization of these biomolecules. We report herein the formation of Ag⁺‐mediated Hoogsteen‐type base pairs comprising 1,3‐dideaza‐2′‐deoxyadenosine and thymidine. By defunctionalizing the Watson–Crick edge of adenine, the formation of regular base pairs is prohibited. The additional substitution of the N3 nitrogen atom of adenine by a methine moiety increases the basicity of the exocyclic amino group. Hence, 1,3‐dideazaadenine and thymine are able to incorporate two Ag⁺ ions into their Hoogsteen‐type base pair (as compared with one Ag⁺ ion in base pairs with 1‐deazaadenine and thymine). We show by using a combination of experimental techniques (UV and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopies, dynamic light scattering, and mass spectrometry) that this type of base pair is compatible with different sequence contexts and can be used contiguously in DNA double helices. The most stable duplexes were observed when using a sequence containing alternating purine and pyrimidine nucleosides. Dispersion‐corrected density functional theory calculations have been performed to provide insight into the structure, formation and stabilization of the twofold metalated base pair. They revealed that the metal ions within a base pair are separated by an Ag???Ag distance of about 2.88 Å. The Ag–Ag interaction contributes some 16 kcal mol^?1 to the overall stability of the doubly metal‐mediated base pair, with the dominant contribution to the Ag–Ag bonding resulting from a donor–acceptor interaction between silver 4d‐type and 4s orbitals. These Hoogsteen‐type base pairs enable a higher functionalization of nucleic acids with metal ions than previously reported metal‐mediated base pairs, thereby increasing the potential of DNA‐based nanotechnology.     

双金属核壳结构负载型Au@Ag/TiO2催化剂的制备及表征

利用溶胶法制备了Au核Ag壳(Au@Ag)结构复合纳米粒子,用粉末-溶胶法和水热合成法使其负载于TiO₂纳米粒子上,利用紫外-可见吸收光谱﹑X射线粉末衍射﹑透射电子显微镜对复合结构材料进行了结构表征,并对其光催化消除臭氧的性能进行了研究。结果表明,制备方法、Au/Ag化学计量比及金属负载量等对光催化消除臭氧的活性均有很大影响。采用粉末-溶胶法制备的1%-Au@Ag/TiO₂(n_Au/n_Ag=1∶3)催化剂,由于TiO₂表面沉积的Au@Ag金属颗粒尺寸小且分散度高,而且1%的金属担载量有利于光生电子空穴的有效分离,光催化消除臭氧的活性最高。     

高活性Ag修饰TiO2空心八面体光催化剂的简易模板诱导合成

贵金属修饰的TiO2空心纳米光催化材料由于具有大的比表面积、低的质量密度、良好的表面渗透性、强的光吸收能力以及界面电荷的快速转移,因而表现出优异的光催化性能.为了制备结构可控且精良的贵金属修饰TiO2空心纳米光催化材料,人们先后采用湿化学法、高温固相法、声化学法及光化学沉积法等.由于在制备过程中涉及多种异相材料的合成和结构控制,因此上述合成方法通常需要复杂且多步过程(有些过程甚至很容易导致结构破坏),从而限制了其在光催化领域的实际应用.本文开发了一种简单的模板诱导法,成功制备了Ag纳米粒子修饰的TiO2空心八面体光催化剂.合成过程包括模板指导沉积和原位模板溶解.以Ag2O八面体为模板, TiF4水溶液为前驱体,首先通过TiF4水解形成TiO2纳米粒子沉积在Ag2O模板表面,而TiF4水解产生的酸性HF水溶液可原位溶解碱性的Ag2O模板,从而一步制得TiO2空心八面体.同时,利用Ag2O以及Ag+离子的光敏特性,在光照条件下使Ag2O和Ag+离子生成Ag纳米颗粒,直接沉积在TiO2空心八面体的内外表面,得到Ag/TiO2光催化剂.由此可见,该合成方法具有明显的步骤少的优点.扫描电镜、透射电镜、能量散射和紫外-可见光谱等表征结果表明成功制得内外Ag纳米粒子修饰的TiO2空心八面体光催化剂,其中TiO2空心八面体的壁厚约为25 nm,边长约为1μm,而修饰在其表面的Ag纳米粒子尺寸仅为5–10 nm.此外,通过控制TiF4前驱体浓度,还可制备核壳结构的Ag2O@TiO2八面体以及不同壁厚Ag修饰的TiO2空心八面体,表明该方法在Ag/TiO2形貌合成上的多样性和可控性.为了获得良好的光催化活性,对制备的Ag纳米粒子修饰的TiO2空心八面体光催化剂进行了不同温度的热处理. X射线衍射结果表明,即使在600 oC高温下,制备的Ag/TiO2空心八面体光催化剂依然能够保持原有的特殊形貌和锐钛矿TiO2晶型.该温度明显高于TiO2从锐钛矿向金红石转变的温度.这说明合成的Ag/TiO2能在保持高活性锐钛矿相的同时获得更好的结晶性.这可能是由于分散在TiO2原始晶粒周围的Ag纳米粒子能阻止其进一步长大,从而抑制了其晶型转变.不同样品光催化降解甲基橙的结果表明,经600oC高温热处理的样品表现出最高的光催化活性,相应的反应速率常数为0.11 min？1.这应得益于该光催化剂具有以下三个特点：(1) TiO2空心八面体的薄壁结构能够缩短光照条件下光生电子和空穴从内部扩散到表面的距离;(2)由于贵金属Ag纳米粒子沉积在TiO2薄壁的内外两个表面以及TiO2和Ag形成肖脱基势垒,因此在它们接触的界面上能够发生更快的界面电荷转移;(3)高温处理导致TiO2良好的晶化以及高活性锐钛矿TiO2晶型的保持.     

贵金属原子与点缺陷石墨烯的键增强作用

通过密度泛函理论研究了Ag、Au、Pt原子在完美和点缺陷(包括N掺杂、B掺杂、空位点缺陷)石墨烯上的吸附以及这些体系的界面性质.研究表明Ag、Au不能在完美的石墨烯上吸附,N、B掺杂增强了三种金属与石墨烯之间的相互作用.而空位点缺陷诱发三种金属在石墨烯上具有强化学吸附作用.通过电子结构分析发现,N掺杂增强了Au、Pt与C形成的共价键,而Au、Ag与B形成了化学键.空位点缺陷不仅是金属原子的几何固定点,同时也增加了金属原子和碳原子之间的成键.增强贵金属原子和石墨烯相互作用的顺序是:空位点缺陷>>B掺杂>N掺杂.     

Structure and bonding of large aromatic molecules on noble metal surfaces: The example of PTCDA

Recent efforts to understand the interaction of large aromatic molecules with metal surfaces are discussed. We focus exclusively on work involving the model molecule 3,4,9,10-perylene-tetracarboxylic-dianhydride (PTCDA) and the noble metal surfaces of Cu, Ag, and Au. Using this material system as an example, salient features of the (chemical) bond between an extended π-conjugated electron system and a metallic substrate are illustrated. Interface structures are a valuable indicator of the metal–molecule interaction strength. Consistent with the trend observed for small molecule adsorption, they indicate that the interaction strength of PTCDA with the metal substrate decreases in the order Cu–Ag–Au. The interfaces of PTCDA with the Au(1 1 1) and Ag(1 1 1) surfaces have been studied in particular detail. The interaction of Au(1 1 1) with PTCDA is weak, leading to point-on-line coincidence between the lattices of the substrate and the molecular overlayer. Experimental results on this surface are generally consistent with a predominantly physisorptive bonding of PTCDA. The situation is different on Ag surfaces, and in particular on Ag(1 1 1), where clear signs of PTCDA chemisorption are observed in many ensemble averaging and single molecule spectroscopies. Issues of electronic and geometric structure as well as electron–vibron interaction, and their relation to the chemical molecule–substrate interaction, are discussed in detail.     

Silver Coated Platinum Core–Shell Nanostructures on Etched Si Nanowires: Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) Processing and Application in SERS

A new method to prepare plasmonically active noble metal nanostructures on large surface area silicon nanowires (SiNWs) mediated by atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology has successfully been demonstrated for applications of surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)‐based sensing. As host material for the plasmonically active nanostructures we use dense single‐crystalline SiNWs with diameters of less than 100 nm as obtained by a wet chemical etching method based on silver nitrate and hydrofluoric acid solutions. The SERS active metal nanoparticles/islands are made from silver (Ag) shells as deposited by autometallography on the core nanoislands made from platinum (Pt) that can easily be deposited by ALD in the form of nanoislands covering the SiNW surfaces in a controlled way. The density of the plasmonically inactive Pt islands as well as the thickness of noble metal Ag shell are two key factors determining the magnitude of the SERS signal enhancement and sensitivity of detection. The optimized Ag coated Pt islands on SiNWs exhibit great potential for ultrasensitive molecular sensing in terms of high SERS signal enhancement ability, good stability and reproducibility. The plasmonic activity of the core‐shell Pt//Ag system that will be experimentally realized in this paper as an example was demonstrated in numerical finite element simulations as well as experimentally in Raman measurements of SERS activity of a highly diluted model dye molecule. The morphology and structure of the core‐shell Pt//Ag nanoparticles on SiNW surfaces were investigated by scanning‐ and transmission electron microscopy. Optimized core–shell nanoparticle geometries for maximum Raman signal enhancement is discussed essentially based on the finite element modeling.     

Synergistic catalysis of Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles stabilized on metal-organic framework

For the first time, this work presents Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) immobilized on a metal-organic framework (MOF) by a sequential deposition-reduction method. The small-size Au@Ag NPs reveal the restriction effects of the pore/surface structure in the MOF. The modulation of the Au/Ag ratio can tune the composition and a reversed Au/Ag deposition sequence changes the structure of Au-Ag NPs, while a posttreatment process transforms the core-shell NPs to a AuAg alloy. Catalytic studies show a strong bimetallic synergistic effect of core-shell structured Au@Ag NPs, which have much higher catalytic activities than alloy and monometallic NPs.     

Tunable Chiroptical Properties from the Plasmonic Band to Metal–Ligand Charge Transfer Band of Cysteine‐Capped Molybdenum Oxide Nanoparticles

Understanding the interactions between a semiconducting nanocrystal surface and chiral anchoring molecules could resolve the mechanism of chirality induction in nanoscale and facilitate the rational design of chiral semiconducting materials for chiroptics. Now, chiral molybdenum oxide nanoparticles are presented in which chirality is transferred via a bio‐to‐nano approach. With facile control of the amount of chiral cysteine molecules under redox treatment, circular dichroism (CD) signals are generated in the plasmon region and metal–ligand charge‐transfer band. The obtained enhanced CD signals with tunable lineshapes illustrate the possibility of using chiral molybdenum oxide nanoparticles as potentials for chiral semiconductor nanosensors, optoelectronics, and photocatalysts.     

Transient Behavior of the Metal Interface in Lithium Metal–Garnet Batteries

The interface between solid electrolytes and Li metal is a primary issue for solid‐state batteries. Introducing a metal interlayer to conformally coat solid electrolytes can improve the interface wettability of Li metal and reduce the interfacial resistance, but the mechanism of the metal interlayer is unknown. In this work, we used magnesium (Mg) as a model to investigate the effect of a metal coating on the interfacial resistance of a solid electrolyte and Li metal anode. The Li–Mg alloy has low overpotential, leading to a lower interfacial resistance. Our motivation is to understand how the metal interlayer behaves at the interface to promote increased Li‐metal wettability of the solid electrolyte surface and reduce interfacial resistance. Surprisingly, we found that the metal coating dissolved in the molten piece of Li and diffused into the bulk Li metal, leading to a small and stable interfacial resistance between the garnet solid electrolyte and the Li metal. We also found that the interfacial resistance did not change with increase in the thickness of the metal coating (5, 10, and 100 nm), due to the transient behavior of the metal interface layer.     

Single‐Molecule Study of a Plasmon‐Induced Reaction for a Strongly Chemisorbed Molecule

Chemical reactions induced by plasmons achieve effective solar‐to‐chemical energy conversion. However, the mechanism of these reactions, which generate a strong electric field, hot carriers, and heat through the excitation and decay processes, is still controversial. In addition, it is not fully understood which factor governs the mechanism. To obtain mechanistic knowledge, we investigated the plasmon‐induced dissociation of a single‐molecule strongly chemisorbed on a metal surface, two O₂ species chemisorbed on Ag(110) with different orientations and electronic structures, using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) combined with light irradiation at 5 K. A combination of quantitative analysis by the STM and density functional theory calculations revealed that the hot carriers are transferred to the antibonding (π*) orbitals of O₂ strongly hybridized with the metal states and that the dominant pathway and reaction yield are determined by the electronic structures formed by the molecule–metal chemical interaction.     

Surface modification of magnetic metal nanoparticles and its influence on the performance of polymer composites

To control the interfacial interaction in magnetic metal nanoparticles‐filled polymer composites, surfaces of iron, cobalt, and nickel nanoparticles were grafted by irradiation‐induced polymerization. On the basis of the study of dynamical mechanical behavior, thermal stability, and magnetic performance of the composites prepared by either solution mixing or in situ polymerization, the structure–property relationships of the composites are a function of interfacial interaction and the dispersion state of the nanoparticles. In addition, grafting of polymers onto the surface of the metal nanoparticles changed the surface magnetic state, leading to the possibility of purposely tailoring the magnetic behavior of the composites. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 1070–1084, 2003     

One-Step Photochemical Green Synthesis of Water-Dispersible Ag,Au, and Au@Ag Core–Shell Nanoparticles

A simple and green synthetic protocol for the rapid and effective preparation of Ag, Au and Au@Ag core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) is reported based on the light irradiation of a biocompatible, water-soluble dextran functionalized with benzophenone (BP) in the presence of AgNO₃, HAuCl₄, or both. Photoactivation of the BP moiety produces the highly reducing ketyl radicals through fast (<50 ns) intramolecular H-abstraction from the dextran scaffold, which, in turn, ensures excellent dispersibility of the obtained metal NPs in water. The antibacterial activity of the AgNPs and the photothermal action of the Au@Ag core–shell are also shown.     

Determination of Thiols by Fluorescence using Au@Ag Nanoclusters as Probes

A simple and label-free fluorescent assay for the sensitive determination of biological thiols was developed using Au@Ag nanoclusters. The sensing approach was based on the strong affinity of thiols to silver on the surface of the nanoclusters. In the presence of thiol-containing amino acids, the fluorescence of the Au@Ag nanoclusters was quenched due to the formation of a non-fluorescent coordination complex via the robust Ag-S bond, which allowed the determination of thiol-containing amino acids in a very simple and rapid way. Under the optimal conditions, an excellent linear relationship was present due to quenching of the Au@Ag nanoclusters over cysteine concentrations between 20 nM and 80 µM with a low detection limit of 5.87 nM. Glutathione was determined between 2 µM and 70 µM with a detection limit of 1.01 µM. In addition, the results reveal that the fluorescent assay has excellent selectivity toward thiol-containing amino acids compared to non-thiol containing amino acids. Moreover, the assay was successfully used to determine cysteine in human plasma, and thus Au@Ag nanoclusters are a suitable fluorescent probe for biological applications.     

Sensitive Detection of Small Molecule–Protein Interactions on a Metal–Insulator–Metal Label‐Free Biosensing Platform

The need to develop label‐free biosensing devices that enable rapid analyses of interactions between small molecules/peptides and proteins for post‐genomic studies has increased significantly. We report a simple metal–insulator–metal (MIM) geometry for fabricating a highly sensitive detection platform for biosensing. MIM substrates consisting of an Au–PMMA–Ag nanolayer were extensively studied using both theoretical and experimental approaches. By monitoring reflectivity changes at the normal incidence angle, we observed molecular interactions as the thickness of the biolayer increased on the substrate surface. These interactions included the adsorption of various proteins (Mw=6–150 kD) and interactions between small molecules (Mw≤2 kD) and the immobilized proteins. The interaction of designed monosaccharide‐modified designed peptides with various lectins was also clearly detected. These interactions could not be detected by the conventional Au‐only substrate. Thus, the MIM approach affords a powerful label‐free biosensing device that will aid our understanding of protein interactions and recognition.