Reactive Glass Metal Interaction under Ambient Conditions Enables Surface Modification of Gold Nanoislands

Stabilizing gold nanoparticles with tunable surface composition via reactive metal support interactions under ambient conditions remains a significant challenge. We discovered that a reactive glass metal interaction (RGMI) under ambient conditions, driven by the intrinsic catalytic activity of gold nanoislands (GNIs) and the unique properties of sodium aluminophosphosilicate glass, including its chemical composition, molar volume, and high Na ion mobility, enables the formation of robustly anchored GNIs with altered surface compositions. Comprehensive characterization reveals that the adsorption of Na and P at the GNI surfaces induces lattice distortions in the Au(111) planes. Additionally, a smooth GNI glass interface significantly influences the hot carrier dynamics of the GNIs. Altogether, RGMI presents a versatile strategy for engineering stable, multi element nanostructures with potential applications in heterogeneous catalysis, sensing, and optoelectronics.