Cationic recognition by tert-butylcalix[4]arene-functionalized nanoprobes?

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics Pub Date: 2011-02-15 DOI: 10.1039/C0CP02658A

Abstract

A nanoparticle-based strategy has been demonstrated using structurally-tailored tert-butylcalixarenes immobilized on gold nanoparticles to tune the guest access to the calixarene cone cavity for cationic recognition. This strategy exploits the interparticle charge-induced aggregation upon selective capture of metal cations into the nanoparticle-immobilized tert-butylcalixarenes, which produces calorimetric changes for the detection. A possible pathway for the binding of Mn+ into the t-BCA structure and the interparticle interaction is proposed for the formation of an electric double layer inducing the interparticle association responsible for the red-shifted surface plasmon resonance band of the nanoparticles. The value of this class of calorimetric nanoprobes will be in the area of designing advanced host–guest probes using a variety of calixarene ligands for ionic recognition in a simplistic detection format.

Graphical abstract: Cationic recognition by tert-butylcalix[4]arene-functionalized nanoprobes
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