Christine Love
Supramolecular Chemistry with Dendritic Nanoparticles

Project Overview

The controlled preparation of metallic particles on the nanoscale has been the subject of intense research interest (1). The preparation of gold nanoparticles with long-term stability and narrow size distribution is a desirable aim (2). Recently, the ability of dendritic systems to stabilise the construction of gold nanoparticles has attracted attention due to the unique properties of the highly branched structure (3).

We report the synthesis of a series of novel dendritic ligands. These structures contain a focal moiety capable of metal complexation which enables the controlled growth and stabilisation of a nanosized metal core (see Figure 1).

The branched network surrounding the core imparts high stability to the system enabling full characterisation to be explored. NMR, FT-IR, UV-Vis and TEM all provide valuable insight into these novel entities.

We have also examined the relationship between the nature of the dendritic ligand and the resultant nanoparticle system. The size of the gold core and the thermal stability of the nanoparticle produced are dependent on the identity of the stabilising ligand.

Thesis complete - Viva Jan 2005. Destination - Regent Medical.

1. A. C. Templeton, W. P. Weulfing and R. W. Murray, Acc. Chem. Res., 2000, 27.
2. M. Brust, M. Walker, D. Bethall, D. J. Schiffrin and R. Whyman, Chem. Commun. 1994, 801.
3. M.-K. Kim, Y.-M. Jeon, W. S. Jeon, H.-J. Kim, S. G. Hong, C. G. Park and K. Kim, Chem. Commun. 2001, 667.