Magnetometry and electron paramagnetic resonance studies of phosphine- and thiol-capped gold nanoparticles

In the last years, the number of studies performed by wholly independent research groups that confirm the permanent magnetism, first observed in our research lab, for thiol-capped Au nanoparticles (NPs) has rapidly increased. Throughout the years, the initial magnetometry studies have been completed with element-specific magnetization measurements based on, for example, the x-ray magnetic circular dichroism technique that have allowed the identification of gold as the magnetic moment carrier. In the research work here presented, we have focused our efforts in the evaluation of the magnetic behavior and iron impurities content in the synthesized samples by means of superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry and electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometry, respectively. As a result, hysteresis cycles typical of a ferromagnetic material have been measured from nominally iron-free gold NPs protected with thiol, phosphine, and chlorine ligands. It is also observed that for samples containing both, capped gold NPs and highly diluted iron concentrations, the magnetic behavior of the NPs is not affected by the presence of paramagnetic iron impurities. The hysteresis cycles reported for phosphine-chlorine-capped gold NPs confirm that the magnetic behavior is not exclusively for the metal-thiol system. © 2010 American Institute of Physics