Electrokinetic Assembly of One-Dimensional Nanoparticle Chains with Cucurbit[7]uril Controlled Subnanometer Junctions

Abstract

One-dimensional (1D) nanoparticle chains with defined nanojunctions are of strong interest due to their plasmonic and electronic properties. A strategy is presented for the assembly of 1D gold-nanoparticle chains with fixed and rigid cucurbit­[<i>n</i>]­uril-nanojunctions of 9 Å. The process is electrokinetically accomplished using a nanoporous polycarbonate membrane and controlled by the applied voltage, the nanoparticle/CB­[<i>n</i>] concentration ratio, time and temperature. The spatial structure and time-resolved analysis of chain plasmonics confirm a growth mechanism at the membrane nanopores