[Journal of Alloys and Compounds]Controlled shell on nanoparticles as a tool to regulate the properties of immobilized molecules
writer：Junwei Gu, Lei Wang, Chaobo Liang, Qiang Zhuang, Jie Kong
keywords：Core shell nanoparticle, pKa regulation, Surface functionality
source：期刊
specific source：Journal of Alloys and Compounds
Issue time：2018年
Tuning functions of organic molecules is a remaining challenge in versatile applications. Here, we demonstrated the pKa of 11- mercaptoundecanoic acid can be subtly tuned by the gold shell thickness of Fe2O3@Au core-shell nanoparticles. Based on titration results, the rebalance of the electrostatic and vdW interactions on nanoparticles was proposed as a mechanism for regulating the pKa of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid on nanoparticles. Further, the simulation by DLVO theory validated our mechanism, and thus offering a potential route to tune the functions of organic molecules.