Abstract

An ordered self-assembly of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) onto microcrystal faces of a 2α-cyclodextrin-dodecanethiol (2αCD-DDT) inclusion compound (IC) by means of a magnetron sputtering technique was obtained. The preferential deposition on the (001) plane of the αCD IC crystal occurs because -SH groups from the guest molecules found within the αCD protrude into that plane. These -SH groups form a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice that interacts with the metal NPs, arranging them in an ordered way. © The Royal Society of Chemistry and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.