Approaching the size limit of organometallic layers: synthesis and characterization of highly ordered silver-thiolate lamellae with ultra-short chain lengths.

Approaching the ultimate limits of material sizes provides a route for designing new functional materials with extraordinary properties. We report the first systematic synthesis and characterization study of a wide range of highly ordered silver alkanethiolate (AgSCH or AgSCn, n = 1-16) aliphatic lamellae. Single crystalline multilayer AgSCn are synthesized by a modified solution reaction method.

Size effect and odd-even alternation in the melting of single and stacked AgSCn layers: synthesis and nanocalorimetry measurements.

We report a systematic study of melting of layered lamella of silver alkanethiolates (AgSCn). A new synthesis method allows us to independently change the thickness of the crystal in two ways-by modulating chain length (n = 7-18) and by stacking these crystals to a specific layer number (m = 1-10). This method produces magic size lamella, having a well-spaced discrete melting point, Tm, distribution.

Synthesis and characterization of single-layer silver-decanethiolate lamellar crystals.

We report the synthesis of silver-decanethiolate (AgSC10) lamellar crystals. Nanometer-sized Ag clusters grown on inert substrates react with decanethiol vapor to form multilayer AgSC10 lamellar crystals with both layer-by-layer and in-plane ordering. The crystals have strong (010) texture with the layers parallel to the substrates.

Self-assembly and ripening of polymeric silver-alkanethiolate crystals on inert surfaces.

We characterize and compare the reaction of alkanethiol with Ag continuous planar thin films and Ag islands on inert substrates. Ag islands generate a significantly larger (3-fold) amount of alkanethiolate than continuous Ag films at comparable conditions. The reaction with planar Ag thin films produces alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), whereas the reaction with Ag islands yields two dissimilar products depending on the size of the islands.