Surface passivation of bare aluminum nanoparticles using perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids

Surface passivation of unpassivated Al nanoparticles has been realized using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). Nanoscale Al particles were prepared in solution by catalytic decomposition of H3Al center dot NMe3 or H3Al center dot N(Me)Pyr by Ti((OPr)-Pr-i)(4) and coated in situ using a perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid SAM. Because the Al particles are prepared using wet chemistry techniques and coated in solution, they are free of oxygen passivation. This SAM coating passivates the aluminum and appears to prevent the oxidation of the particles in air and renders the composite material, to some extent, soluble in polar organic solvents such as diethyl ether. Characterization data including scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of prepared materials are presented.