Fast Assembling of Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles by Microwave-Assisted Copper(I) Catalyzed Alkyne–Azide Cycloaddition (CuAAC)

Two dimensional (2D) nanoparticles (NP) assemblies have become very attractive due to their original collective properties, which can be modulated as a function of the nanostructure. Beyond precise control on nanostructure and easy way to perform, fast assembling processes are highly desirable to develop efficient and popular strategies to prepare systems with tunable collective properties. In this article, we report on the highly efficient and fast 2D assembling of iron oxide nanoparticles on a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of organic molecules by the microwave (MW)-assisted copper(I) catalyzed alkyne–azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) click reaction. Microwave irradiation favors a dramatic enhancement of the assembling reaction, which was completed with maximum density in NPs within one hour, much faster than the conventional CuAAC click reactions that require up to 48 h. Moreover, the MW-assisted click reaction presents the great advantage to preserve specific reactions between alkyne and azide groups at SAM and NP surfaces, respectively, and also to avoid undesired reactions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time this approach is performed to nanoparticles assembled on surfaces.