Synthesis of N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Modified Gold Nanoclusters and their Use in the Aerobic C-H Oxidation of Cyclohexane

For over than thirty years, chemists have applied sulfur-based organic molecules to gold sheets to form coatings with a single molecule thickness. Although these coatings have potential applications in sensors and microelectronics, they gradually decompose under moderate heat and in air, limiting their applications. In 2014, the Crudden group demonstrated that N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs), which are carbon-based organic molecules, could form ultrastable coatings on gold surfaces. The NHC-based coatings could withstand much harsher conditions than their sulfur-based analogs because of the stronger carbon-gold bond than that of the sulfur-gold one. In this work, we want to extend the use of NHCs to protect other highly applicable materials; namely gold nanoclusters. Nanoclusters are perfect entities, often smaller than 2 nm, composed of a specific number of metal atoms and surface-protected by organic ligands; most commonly by sulfur-based ones. They have potential applications in chemical synthesis, sensors, and microelectronics. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

Cathy Crudden

Student:

Partner:

The University of Tokyo

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Education

University:

Queen's University

Program: