Gold Surface Modification with N-Heterocyclic Carbene

NHC-CO₂ adducts (IMes·CO₂ or IPr·CO₂) are utilized in the surface modification and functionalization of gold by physical vapor deposition. Glorius and Fuchs have reported an impurity-free self-assembling monolayer of NHC groups with a hexagonal-close-packed structure on gold surfaces, analyzed by using scanning tunnelling microscopy. The NHC monolayer possesses a high desorption barrier and forms strong chemical bonds to the gold surface. This method is expected to be applied to many types of a metal-surface modifications.