Chain packing analysis of the passivating layer on nanocrystalline quantumdot surfaces

The organic passivant layer on nanomaterial surfaces has been examined by c orrelating the phase behavior of the passivant using attenuated total refle ction infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR), coupled with differential scanning ca lorimetry (DSC). The thermodynamic melting dynamics in the passivant layer supports the description of self-assembled monolayer-like interactions, wit h an initial constrained chain melting followed by modulation of the surfac e packing. Correlation of chain length with particle diameter and headgroup functionality suggests that in systems in which the radius of the particle is larger than the passivant layer thickness, chain-chain interactions dom inate thermodynamic stabilities, with only a minimal contribution from head group stabilization of the passivating layer.