Covalent Attachment of Gold Nanoparticles to Surfaces and Polymeric Substrates Using UV Light

Uniform benzophenone-covered AuNP (Bph-AuNP) were prepared in a two-phase ethyl acetate/water reduction of auric acid employing a benzophenone-functionalized disulfi de. Upon UV irradiation, the benzophenone carbonyl bond was excited allowing for insertion into a nearby C–H bond and thus a covalent attachment of the AuNP onto a substrate exhibiting C–H bonds. Using this technique, polycarbonate–gold core–shell particles were easily obtained, providing a simple synthetic pathway toward AuNP hybrids with polycondensation polymers. Bph-AuNP were also covalently attached to alkylated silica microspheres or cellulose paper. UV irradiation through a photo mask enabled a photolithographic surface patterning