Abstract
Nanoparticles (NPs) are inherently prone to aggregation and loss of their size-derived properties, thus it is essential to enhance their dispersibility for applications. In less polar solvents, organic ligands containing oleyl groups are known as good dispersants due to their inefficient shell packing and inhibition of chain-chain crystallization and interdigitation between adjacent NPs. However, reagents with oleyl structures, such as oleic acid and oleylamine, may contain trans double bonds and saturated impurities, which may affect the chemical and/or physical properties of the NPs. Nevertheless, the effect of slight differences in surface ligand structure, including isomers, on the dispersibility of NPs has been little studied. Here, we synthesize five phosphonic acid ligands to investigate the structure-dispersibility relationship in detail. Dynamic light scattering and visible light transmittance reveal that not only regio- but stereochemistries of the C=C double bond in the ligand molecule, as well as choice of solvent, are key factors to enhance dispersibility.
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