ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Ferrocene-functionalized gold nanoparticles: study of a simple synthesis method and their electrochemical behavior

Sana Sabahat, Naveed Kausar Janjua, Zareen Akhter, and Muhammad Umair Hassan

COMSATS University, Islamabad, Pakistan

E-mail: s.sabahat@comsats.edu.pk

Abstract: We report on a new synthesis protocol for functionalization of water-insoluble ferrocene derivative on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in aqueous media. 11-mercaptoundecylferrocene (HS-(CH₂)₁₁-ferrocene) (FcSH) was successfully conjugated on AuNPs in an aqueous phase with the help of different thiol-alkylated polyethyleneglycol (PEG) ligands. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was carried out for a range of sets of ferrocene-functionalized Au nanoparticles (FcSH–AuNPs) which showed electrochemical (EC) adsorption due to dithiolated linkage/self-assembly of monolayers (SAMs) on gold electrode surface. Importantly, the redox activity, aqueous solubility and stability of FcSH–AuNPs were noticed to remain unchanged throughout the study.

Keywords: Thiolated ferrocene ; Functionalized gold nanoparticles ; Thiolated polyethylene glycol ; Cyclic voltammtery ; Dithiol monolayer ; Redox activity 

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-018-0646-9

Chemical Papers 73 (4) 943–951 (2019)