Controlled surface modification of gold nanostructures with functionalized silicon polymers

Abstract

The stabilization of metal nanoparticles using surface modification has been intensively investigated. We propose an alternative to the use of surfactants, long-chain polymers or silica shells in order to provide easy and efficient stabilization of a wide range of metallic nanostructures. The prepared silicon oligomers were characterized, optimized and successfully used for surface modifications of nanospheres, nanobipyramids, nanorods of both gold and silver. The modified nanoparticles were then easily incorporated into monolithic sol–gel materials based on silica. This original route toward hybrid composite was efficiently used to prepare composite sol–gel materials with plasmonic nanostructures for optical applications. Specifically designed silicon polymers are used to efficiently stabilize metal nanoparticles and allow homogeneous dispersion into sol–gel materials.