Preparation of Long Conjugated Porphyrin Polymers with Gold Nanoparticles at Both Ends as Electronic and/or Photonic Molecular Wires

Nanocomposites of long conjugated porphyrin polymers with both ends substituted by gold nanoparticles were prepared by mixing a polymer bearing thiol groups at both ends with gold nanoparticles protected by 2-methylundecane-2-thiol. The nano-composites were observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), which showed that the gold nanoparticles were attached at the terminal positions of the porphyrin polymers as expected from height analyses. The height at the terminal position was ca. 3-4 nm and that at the center position was ca. 2 nm. The nanocomposites could be dispersed homogeneously on solid surfaces such as HOPG or glass substrates using a pulse injection method under high vacuum.