Self-assembly and integration of ordered, robust, three-dimensional gold nanocrystal/silica arrays.

Journal Article · Tue Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 2003 · Proposed for publication in Science.

OSTI ID:1003910

Boye, Daniel M ^[1]; Yang, Kai ^[2]; Fan, Hongyou; Xu, Huifang ^[3]; Brinker, C Jeffrey; Malloy, Kevin J ^[2]; Sigmon, Thomas W ^[2]

---

1. Davidson College, Davidson, NC
2. Center for High Technology Materials, Albuquerque, NM
3. University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

We report the synthesis of a new nanocrystal (NC) mesophase through self-assembly of water-soluble NC micelles with soluble silica. The mesophase comprises gold nanocrystals arranged within a silica matrix in a face-centered cubic lattice with cell dimensions that are adjustable through control of the nanocrystal diameter and/or the alkane chain lengths of the primary alkanethiol stabilizing ligands or the surrounding secondary surfactants. Under kinetically controlled silica polymerization conditions, evaporation drives self-assembly of NC micelles into ordered NC/silica thin-film mesophases during spin coating. The intermediate NC micelles are water soluble and of interest for biolabeling. Initial experiments on a metal-insulator-metal capacitor fabricated with an ordered three-dimensional gold nanocrystal/silica array as the 'insulator' demonstrated collective Coulomb blockade behavior below 100 kelvin and established the current-voltage scaling relationship for a well-defined three-dimensional array of Coulomb islands.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Laboratories
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• OSTI ID: 1003910
• Report Number(s): SAND2003-2839J
• Journal Information: Proposed for publication in Science., Journal Name: Proposed for publication in Science. Journal Issue: 5670 Vol. 304; ISSN 0193-4511; ISSN SCEHDK
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
CAPACITORS
ELECTRICAL INSULATORS
FABRICATION
GOLD
MICELLAR SYSTEMS
NANOSTRUCTURES
SILICA
SPIN-ON COATING
SYNTHESIS