Structure Induced Ion Recognition of Self-Assembled Monolayers on Gold

Z. Jiang, S. Liu and Z. Gao
Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, SG

Keywords: Monolayer, gold, anthraquinone, Ion Binding

Abstract:
The construction and characteristics of self-assembled monolayers(SAMs) anthraquinone-polyether compounds on gold were described. Surprisingly and in contrast to the behavior of the in solution, the SAMs show very high affinity towards alkali metal ions, as evidenced by electrochemical potential shifts of the anthraquinone, even though the molecule contains no polyether macrocycles. The unusually high selectivity is probably the result of the unique structure and packing density of the SAMs on the gold surface, which allows cooperative binding to occur but only for ions with the right size and charge to penetrate and fit the monolayer.

Nanotech 2004 Conference Technical Program Abstract