Andrew C. Jamison

Tuning the Magnetic Properties of Nanoparticles

The tremendous interest in magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) is reflected in published research that ranges from novel methods of synthesis of unique nanoparticle shapes and composite structures to a large number of MNP characterization techniques, and finally to their use in many biomedical and nanotechnology-based applications. The knowledge gained from this vast body of research can be made more useful if we organize the associated results to correlate key magnetic properties with the parameters that influence them. Tuning these properties of MNPs will allow us to tailor nanoparticles for specific applications, thus increasing their effectiveness. The complex magnetic behavior exhibited by MNPs is governed by many factors; these factors can either improve or adversely affect the desired magnetic properties. In this report, we have outlined a matrix of parameters that can be varied to tune the magnetic properties of nanoparticles. For practical utility, this review focuses on the effect of size, shape, composition, and shell-core structure on saturation magnetization, coercivity, blocking temperature, and relaxation time.

Gold Nanoshell-Decorated Silicone Surfaces for the Near-Infrared (NIR) Photothermal Destruction of the Pathogenic Bacterium E. faecalis

Catheter-related infections (CRIs) are associated with the formation of pathogenic biofilms on the surfaces of silicone catheters, which are ubiquitous in medicine. These biofilms provide protection against antimicrobial agents and facilitate the development of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. The application of photothermal agents on catheter surfaces is an innovative approach to overcoming biofilm-generated CRIs. Gold nanoshells (AuNSs) represent a promising photothermal tool, because they can be used to generate heat upon exposure to near-infrared (NIR) radiation, are biologically inert at physiological temperatures, and can be engineered for the photothermal ablation of cells and tissue. In this study, AuNSs functionalized with carboxylate-terminated organosulfur ligands were attached to model catheter surfaces and tested for their effectiveness at killing adhered Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) bacteria. The morphology of the AuNSs was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), while the elemental composition was characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Furthermore, optical and photothermal properties were acquired by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy and thermographic imaging with an infrared camera, respectively. Bacterial survival studies on AuNS-modified surfaces irradiated with and without NIR light were evaluated using a colony-formation assay. These studies demonstrated that AuNS-modified surfaces, when illuminated with NIR light, can effectively kill E. faecalis on silicone surfaces.

The impact of fluorination on the structure and properties of self-assembled monolayer films

The adsorption of partially fluorinated amphiphiles on metal/metal oxide surfaces allows for the generation of specifically fluorinated thin-film interfaces. Such surfaces are often compared to polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which exhibits a low surface energy, accompanied by biological and chemical inertness, making perfluorinated interfaces applicable to a wide range of technologies. In thin-film research, self-assembled monolayers derived from fluorinated alkanethiols (FSAMs) serve as well-defined systems that can be used to evaluate the physical and chemical properties of interfaces produced with varying degrees of fluorination. The characteristics of these surfaces have been attributed to both the chemical composition of the individual molecular adsorbates and the consequent structural features associated with monolayers formed from these unique partially fluorinated adsorbates. Specifically, this review seeks to correlate the structural and interfacial properties of FSAMs on gold with the structure/composition of the fluorinated moiety present in the adsorbed molecules and to highlight how the degree of fluorination influences the interfacial ordering of the individual alkanethiolate chains and the vacuum energy levels of the modified metal substrate. Additionally, the thermal stability of these organic thin films is analyzed as a function of adsorbate structure. Included are highlights of some of the studies in which FSAMs, formed from a variety of new types of surfactants, were used to modify colloidal systems, to generate anti-adhesive materials, and to enhance the stability of fluorinated thin films toward low-energy electron degradation.

Robust Carboxylic Acid-Terminated Organic Thin Films and Nanoparticle Protectants Generated from Bidentate Alkanethiols

A new carboxylic acid-terminated alkanethiol having bidentate character, 16-(3,5-bis(mercaptomethyl)phenoxy)hexadecanoic acid (BMPHA), was designed as an absorbate and protectant to form thermally stable carboxylic acid-terminated organic thin films on flat gold and nanoparticles, respectively. The structural features of the organic thin films derived from BMPHA were characterized by ellipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS), and compared to those derived from mercaptohexadecanoic acid (MHA) and 16-(4-(mercaptomethyl)phenoxy)hexadecanoic acid (MMPHA). This study demonstrates that films derived from BMPHA are less densely packed than films derived from MHA and MMPHA. However, the results of solution-phase thermal desorption tests revealed that the carboxylic acid-terminated films generated from BMPHA exhibit an enhanced thermal stability compared to those generated from MHA and MMPHA. Furthermore, as a nanoparticle protectant, BMPHA can be used to stabilize large gold nanoparticles (~45 nm diameter) in solution, and BMPHA-protected gold nanoparticles exhibited a high thermal stability in solution thermolysis studies.

In Situ Growth of Hollow Gold–Silver Nanoshells within Porous Silica Offers Tunable Plasmonic Extinctions and Enhanced Colloidal Stability

Porous silica-coated hollow gold-silver nanoshells were successfully synthesized utilizing a procedure where the porous silica shell was produced prior to the transformation of the metallic core, providing enhanced control over the structure/composition of the bimetallic hollow core. By varying the reaction time and the precise amount of gold salt solution added to a porous silica-coated silver-core template solution, composite nanoparticles were tailored to reveal a readily tunable surface plasmon resonance that could be centered across the visible and near-IR spectral regions (∼445-800 nm). Characterization by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the synthetic methodology afforded particles having uniform composition, size, and shape. The optical properties were evaluated by absorption/extinction spectroscopy. The stability of colloidal solutions of our composite nanoparticles as a function of pH was also investigated, revealing that the nanoshells remain intact over a wide range of conditions (i.e., pH 2-10). The facile tunability, enhanced stability, and relatively small diameter of these composite particles (∼110 nm) makes them promising candidates for use in tumor ablation or as photothermal drug-delivery agents.

Surface Dipoles: A Growing Body of Evidence Supports Their Impact and Importance

Surface dipoles arise from differences in the distribution of electron density of interfacial molecular structures as expressed by charge separation. The direction and magnitude of the associated dipole moments directly impact a variety of interfacial phenomena. For example, the wettability of thin film-coated solid surfaces toward polar contacting liquids can be systematically adjusted by reorienting the direction of an array of interfacial dipoles, while the vector sum total of all of the dipole moments associated with such thin films can be used to tune the work function of a metal. One method of producing such dipole arrays is by coating a surface with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM), which is a thin organic film of amphiphilic adsorbates that spontaneously assemble on a surface. The interfacial properties of SAMs can be menu-selected by choice of adsorbate structure using ω-terminated thiols on gold surfaces as a convenient system for studying and utilizing these properties. In this Account, we describe the impact of an array of oriented surface dipoles upon the interfacial energy of the thin film bearing such an array. Our analysis of these films divides the subject of surface dipole arrays into three types: (1) those directing a well-defined electronegative pole toward the interface, (2) those incorporating an invertable polar group, and (3) those directing a well-defined electropositive pole toward the interface. With regard to the first category, we analyze the impact of permanent dipoles on the wettability of alkanethiolate SAMs generated from adsorbates possessing well-defined transitions between terminal fluorocarbon and underlying hydrocarbon chain segments. The second category covers recent reports of light-responsive SAMs formed from azobenzene-based adsorbates. Finally, the third category explores a unique example of a dipole array that exposes the positive ends of the interfacial dipoles formed from CH3-terminated fluorocarbon tailgroups. Our analysis of the SAMs formed from these carefully crafted adsorbates encompassing several series of fluorocarbon-containing thiols provides support for a conclusion that oriented surface dipoles exert a significant influence on interfacial energetics and wettability. In contrast to the limited distance from the interface that a surface dipole array will have upon contacting liquids, the work function of a thin film reflects the influence of all the polar groups within the film. Therefore, we also explore the change in the substrate work function for n-alkanethiol-modified gold surfaces as a function of molecular length and for other adsorbates as a function of their chemical composition.

Odd–Even Effects in the Friction of Self-Assembled Monolayers of Phenyl-Terminated Alkanethiols in Contacts of Different Adhesion Strengths

We have studied the frictional properties of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of phenyl-terminated alkanethiols, C6H5(CH2) n SH (n = 13–16) on template-stripped gold. The friction force was measured with atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the magnitude of the adhesion was controlled by immersing the sliding contact in ethanol (giving low adhesion) or dry N2 gas (giving enhanced adhesion relative to ethanol). We observed a linear friction force as a function of load (F = μL) in the systems with low adhesion and a non-linear friction force when the adhesion was higher. The non-linear behavior in the adhesive systems appeared to be area-dependent (F = S c A) and was compared to contact areas calculated using the extended Thin-Coating Contact Mechanics (TCCM) model. In ethanol, the coefficient of friction μ was found to be systematically higher for odd values of n (i.e., for the monolayers in which the terminal phenyl group was oriented closer to the surface normal).

Self-Assembled Monolayers Derived from a Double-Chained Monothiol Having Chemically Dissimilar Chains

The structure and conformation of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) derived from the adsorption of a specifically designed double-chained partially fluorinated thiol having the formula 12,12,13,13,14,14,15,15,16,16,17,17,18,18,19,19,19-heptadecafluoro-2-tetradecylnona-decane-1-thiol (2) onto the surface of evaporated gold were examined by ellipsometry, contact angle goniometry, polarization modulation infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results were compared to those of SAMs generated from normal hexadecanethiol (1) and a structurally related single-chained partially fluorinated thiol having the formula 12,12,13,13,14,14,15,15,16,16,17,17,18,18,19,19,19-heptadecafluorononadecane-1-thiol ( 3). Collectively, the studies demonstrate that the double-chained adsorbate 2 forms SAMs on gold in which the alkyl chains are less densely packed and less conformationally ordered than those in the SAMs derived from each of the single-chained adsorbates. Furthermore, the fluorocarbon moieties in the SAMs derived from 2 are more tilted from the surface normal than those in the SAMs derived from 3. The low values of contact angle hysteresis suggest, however, that the double-chained adsorbate 2 generates homogeneous monolayer films on the surface of gold.

Light-Induced Covalent Immobilization of Monolayers of Magnetic Nanoparticles on Hydrogen-Terminated Silicon

Specifically tailored ω-alkenyl-1-carboxylic acids were synthesized for use as surfactants in the single-step preparation of manganese ferrite (MnFe2O4) nanoparticles (NPs). Monodisperse manganese ferrite NPs terminated with ω-alkenyl moieties were prepared via a one-pot reaction at high temperature without the need of ligand exchange. Using this approach, simple adjustment of the rate of heating allowed precise tuning of the size of the nanoparticles, which were characterized in bulk form by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). These surfactant-coated magnetic nanoparticles were then deposited onto hydrogen-terminated silicon(111) wafers and covalently anchored to the surface by UV-initiated covalent bonding. Analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed that the UV treatment led to covalent immobilization of the NPs on the silicon surface with a consistent packing density across the surface. The magnetic properties of the stable, surface-bound nanoparticle arrays were characterized using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. The materials and methods described here are being developed for use in bit-patterned ultrahigh density magnetic recording media and nanoscale biomagnetic sensing.

Self-assembled monolayer films derived from tridentate cyclohexyl adsorbates with alkyl tailgroups of increasing chain length.

Tridentate cyclohexyl-based alkanethiolate SAMs generated from a series of adsorbates of the form R3C6H6(CH2SH)3, where R = -(CH2)nH and n = 3, 8, and 13 (3CnCyTSH), were examined. Characterization of the SAMs by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that all sulfur atoms of the tridentate adsorbates were bound to the surface of gold, and that the tailgroups were in general less densely packed than the SAM derived from octadecanethiol (C18SH). For each of the SAMs, the relative molecular coverage on the surface was estimated from the XPS-derived C1s/Au4f ratios. The trend in conformational order for these SAMs as determined by the surface interactions with contacting liquids and the relative crystallinity of the alkyl chains as revealed by the PM-IRRAS spectra were found to decrease as follows: C18SH >> 3C13CyTSH > 3C8CyTSH > 3C3CyTSH. A preliminary study of the thermal stability of the SAMs as evaluated by XPS indicates that the SAM generated from the cyclohexyl-based adsorbate with the longest alkyl chain, 3C13CyTSH, is markedly more stable than the SAM generated from C18SH. Overall, the results suggest that the stability of the SAMs are influenced by both the length of the alkyl chains and the chelate effect associated with the tridentate adsorbates.