Deposition of silica nanoparticles on a gold surface via a self-assembled monolayer of (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane

In this work, we explored the possibility of immobilizing silica nanoparticles onto silane terminated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of organic molecules. Gold sputtered wafers coated with (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (3-MPTS) were immersed in silica nanoparticles aqueous suspensions, enabling us to produce gold surfaces homogenously covered with two-dimensional clusters of silica nanoparticles. The results of this study are essential for the development of new classes of nanoparticles functionalized surfaces.