QCM study of the adsorption of polyelectrolyte covered mesoporous TiO2 nanocontainers on SAM modified Au surfaces

Agata Pomorska; Kirsi Yliniemi; Benjamin P Wilson; Dmitry Shchukin; Diethelm Johannsmann; Guido Grundmeier

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2011.06.018

QCM study of the adsorption of polyelectrolyte covered mesoporous TiO2 nanocontainers on SAM modified Au surfaces

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2011 Oct 1;362(1):180-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2011.06.018. Epub 2011 Jun 22.

Authors

Agata Pomorska¹, Kirsi Yliniemi, Benjamin P Wilson, Dmitry Shchukin, Diethelm Johannsmann, Guido Grundmeier

Affiliation

¹ Institute of Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry, University of Paderborn, Warburger Str. 100, 33098 Paderborn, Germany.

PMID: 21757201
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2011.06.018

Abstract

Mesoporous TiO(2) nanocontainers (NCs) covered with polyelectrolyte multilayers were adsorbed on self-assembled monolayer (SAM) modified gold substrates at different values of pH and ionic strength. The adsorption process was followed in situ by means of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and the morphology of the adsorbate was investigated by means of FE-SEM images taken of the substrates after each adsorption process. Deposition could be achieved if either the particles and the surface had opposite charge, or if the salt concentration was sufficiently high, reducing the repulsion between the spheres and the surface. In the latter case the adsorption kinetics could be explained in the context of the DLVO-theory. Using conditions of like charges, one has a means to control the speed of deposition by means of ionic strength. However, interparticle aggregation and cluster deposition on the surface were observed at high ionic strength. Such conditions have to be avoided to obtain a uniform deposition of separated nanocontainers on the surface.