Effect of nanoscale geometry on molecular conformation: vibrational sum-frequency generation of alkanethiols on gold nanoparticles

Vibrational sum frequency generation (VSFG) spectroscopy was used to study the nanoscale geometric effects on molecular conformation of dodecanethiol ligand on gold nanoparticles of varying size between 1.8 and 23 nm. By analyzing the CH3 and CH2 stretch transitions of dodecanethiol using the spectroscopic propensity rules for the SFG process, we observe the increase of the gauche defects in the alkyl chain of the ligand on the nanoparticle surface when the curvature approaches the size of the molecule ( approximately 1.6 nm). In contrast, linear infrared absorption and Raman spectra, governed by different selection rules, do not allow observation of the size-dependent conformational changes. The results are understood in terms of the geometric packing effect, where the curvature of the nanoparticle surface results in the increased conical volume available for the alkyl chain.