13C NMR and infrared evidence of a dioctyl-disulfide structure on octanethiol-protected palladium nanoparticle surfaces.

Abstract

On 13C1-labeled octanethiol-protected 2.7 nm Pd nanoparticle surfaces, it has been observed that the 13C1 NMR of the alpha-carbon shows a peak centered around 38 ppm (with respect to tetramethylsilane (TMS)), which virtually coincides with that of the alpha-carbons in a dioctyl-disulfide molecule (39.3 ppm), and the corresponding 13C1 spin-spin relaxation becomes nonexponential. In addition, the infrared spectrum of the same sample shows that the ligands have a 100% gauche conformation, which is also consistent with a dioctyl-disulfide arrangement. By comparing with data obtained on 13C1-labeled octanethiol-protected 2.8 nm Au nanoparticles, we propose that a dioctyl-disulfide structure of the ligands is formed on the octanethiol-protected Pd nanoparticle surface, in contrast to the thiolate structure proposed on the Au nanoparticles. In addition, CO adsorption experiments show no sign of a PdS layer formed on the Pd nanoparticle surface. Furthermore, data taken over a period of more than 1 year show that the Pd nanoparticles are rather stable in organic solvents (for instance benzene), although slow degradation does happen and oxygen seems to play an important role in accelerating the degradation.