Decoration of Inorganic Nanostructures by Metallic Nanoparticles to Induce Fluorescence, Enhance Solubility, and Tune Band Gap

We report here a unique and efficient methodology for the surface functionalization of closed-cage inorganic fullerene-like (IF) nanoparticles and inorganic nanotubes (INTs) composed of two-dimensional nanomaterials of transition-metal chalcogenides (MS₂; M = W or Mo). The first step is the physical coverage of these robust inorganic materials with monodispersed and dense monolayers of gold, silver, and palladium nanoparticles. The structural continuity at the interface between the IF/INT and the metallic nanoparticles is investigated. Lattice matching between these nanocrystalline materials and strong chemical affinity lead to efficient binding of the metallic nanoparticles onto the outer sulfide layer of the MS₂-based structures. It is shown that this functionalization results in narrowing of the IF/INT optical band gap, increased work function, and improved surface-enhanced Raman scattering. In the second step, functionalization of the surface-bound nanoparticles is carried out by a ligand-exchange reaction. This ligand exchange involving the tetraoctylammonium bromide capping layer and an alkyl thiol enhances the solubility (∼10×) of the otherwise nearly insoluble materials in organic solvents. The scope of this method is further demonstrated by introducing a ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complex on the surface of the surface-bound AuNPs to generate fluorescent multicomponent materials.