XAFS study on structural order in highly monodispersed thiol-stabilized Au nanoparticles

Understanding the influence of thiol on nanoparticle size and structure is essential for the fundamental and applied researches. Here, using x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy, we investigate the structural order of Au nanoparticles (NPs) in the protection of thiol ligands with different contents. We found that besides protecting Au NPs against aggregation and growth, thiolates can effectively eliminate the dangling bonds of unsaturated Au atoms, and thus increase the structural order. This work enriches our knowledge of Au-S interface interaction and guides the way towards preparing size-controllable nanoparticles with specific physical/ chemical properties.