Structural Characteristics of Crosslinked Gold Nanoparticle Networks Formed at an Air-water Interface

Abstract

The structural dynamics of thin films of surfactant molecules can be characterized by their behavior in a Langmuir trough, where the molecules reside at the air-water interface. Parameters such as molecular order, film density, and surface pressure are easily addressed, and multilayer superstructures can be fabricated using this classic surface science strategy. Less common is the use of a Langmuir trough for the fabrication of organized two-dimensional arrays of alkanethiol-capped gold nanoparticles. The purpose of this study was to introduce hydrophobic nanoparticles to the air-water interface as a solution in hexanes; as the solvent evaporated, the floating nanoparticles were compressed into a monolayer within the Langmuir trough.