Synthesis and characterization of n-octadecayl mercaptan-protected palladium nanoparticles

Long-chain n-octadecayl mercaptan (C18H37SH)-passivated palladium nanoparticles are synthesized and characterized. The palladium nanoparticles are successfully capped by n-octadecayl mercaptan. These palladium nanoparticles have the same face-centered cubic crystalline structure as Pd in the bulk phase. The size of the capped palladium nanoparticles varies in the range of 1.3–5.5 nm for various reaction conditions. These results show that the long-chain n-octadecayl mercaptan-capped palladium nanoparticles are more stable than alkanethiolate-capped Pd nanoparticles with a shorter chain.