Dispersion of gold dodecanethiolate in a silsesquioxane film with pendant dodecyl chains: from photoluminescent materials to gold nanocomposites

M. L. GÓMEZ; IGNACIO E. DELLERBA; C. A. CHESTA; C. E. HOPPE; R.J.J. WILLIAMS

JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2013 vol. 48 p. 8559 - 8565

0022-2461

Photoluminescence of Au(I)-dodecane thiolate (Au(I)-DDT) and its thermal reduction to metallic gold have been extensively reported in the literature. However, the incorporation of this salt to a polymeric matrix to produce photoluminescent materials or gold nanocomposites by thermal reduction is a difficult task due to the insolubility of Au(I)-DDT. In this study it is shown that a silsesquioxane with pendant dodecyl chains can be a convenient host of Au(I)-DDT. The presence of dodecyl chains in both compounds and the in situ generation of the salt in the solution of the silsesquioxane precursor enabled to obtain a uniform dispersion of Au(I)-DDT in the silsesquioxane matrix. Flexible films were generated, exhibiting characteristic photoluminescent properties before thermal treatment and a uniform dispersion of gold nanoparticles after heating at 150 C for different periods of time.