COLLOIDS AND SELF-ASSEMBLED MONOLAYERS

The fusion of disparate areas of study can produce results that give i nsight both into the original topics and into new subjects. Such has b een the case for the areas of colloids and self-assembled monolayers ( SAMs). For example, an alkanethiolate monolayer bound to the surface o f a gold colloid prevents aggregation of the metal particles, stabiliz es them to harsh reaction conditions, and enhances their solubility in many organic solvents. The monolayer on the colloid (referred to as a 3D-SAM) can be studied by powerful techniques unavailable to conventi onal 2D-SAMs, including differential scanning calorimetry, NMR spectro scopy, and transmission infrared spectroscopy. Finally, other areas, s uch as the behavior of nanoelectrodes, the production of improved subs trates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, and the advent of scan ning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements on the electronic propert ies of single clusters and molecules, have directly benefited from the interaction of colloids and SAMs. (C) Current Chemistry Ltd.