Hamilton receptor-mediated self-assembly of orthogonally functionalized Au and TiO₂ nanoparticles

A new prototype of reversible self-assembly between functionalized gold and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (NPs) utilizing hydrogen bonding interactions was developed and established. The gold nanoparticles were functionalized with a Hamilton-receptor functionality bearing a thiol moiety as anchoring group. The titanium dioxide nanoparticles were modified with cyanurate derivatives which contained phosphonic acids as anchoring groups. The host–guest type interaction between two functionalized nanoparticles yielded a highly integrated nanoparticle system in chloroform. Moreover, by presenting a competing ligand in an exchange reaction, the product of self-assembly can be segregated into the individual soluble components of functionalized nanoparticles. The self-assembly and the exchange reaction were followed and monitored in detail by UV/Vis spectroscopy. The structure of the self-assembly product was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). © 2019 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerlan