Synthesis and Characterization of Single-Layer Silver-Decanethiolate Lamellar Crystals

Citation:

Liang Hu, de la Rama, Lito P. , Efremov, Mikhail Y. , Anahory, Yonathan , Schiettekatte, Francois , and Allen, Leslie H. . 2011. “Synthesis And Characterization Of Single-Layer Silver-Decanethiolate Lamellar Crystals”. Journal Of The American Chemical Society, 133, 12, Pp. 4367-4376. doi:10.1021/ja107817x.

Abstract:

We report the synthesis of silver-decanethiolate (AgSC10) lamellar crystals. Nanometer-sized Ag clusters grown on inert substrates react with decanethiol vapor to form multi-layer 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. The synthesis method allows for a precise control of the number of layers. The thickness of the lamellae can be manipulated and systematically reduced to a single layer by decreasing the amount of Ag and lowering the annealing temperature. The single-layer AgSC10 lamellae are two-dimensional crystals and have uniform thickness and in-plane ordering. These samples were characterized with nanocalorimetry, atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray reflectivity (XRR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS).