Deposition of gold nanoparticles onto thiol-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Gold nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) functionalized with aliphatic bifunctional thiols (1,4-butanedithiol, 1,6-hexanedithiol, 1.8-octanedithiol, and 2-aminoethanethiol) through a direct solvent-free procedure. Small gold particles, with I narrow particle size distribution around 1.7 nm, were obtained on 1,6-hexanedithiol-functionalized MWNTs. For MWNTs functionalized with the aminothiol, the average ALL particle size was larger, 5.5 nm, apparently due to a coalescence phenomenon. Gatan image filter (GIF) observations show that sulfur is at the nanotube surface with I non-homogeneous distribution. A higher sulfur concentration was observed around the gold nanoparticles' location.