Ordered arrangement of gold nanoparticles on an alpha-cyclodextrin - dodecanethiol inclusion compound produced by magnetron sputtering

Abstract

An ordered self-assembly of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) onto microcrystal faces of a 2 alpha-cyclodextrin-dodecanethiol (2 alpha CD-DDT) inclusion compound (IC) by means of a magnetron sputtering technique was obtained. The preferential deposition on the (001) plane of the alpha CD IC crystal occurs because-SH groups from the guest molecules found within the aCD protrude into that plane. These-SH groups form a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice that interacts with the metal NPs, arranging them in an ordered way.