On the electric conductivity of highly ordered monolayers of monodisperse metal nanoparticles

Nano Lett. 2009 Jan;9(1):473-8. doi: 10.1021/nl803520r.

Abstract

Monolayers of colloidally synthesized cobalt-platinum nanoparticles of different diameters characterized by transmission electron microscopy were deposited on structured silicon oxide substrates and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, grazing incidence X-ray scattering, and electric transport measurements. The highly ordered nanoparticle films show a thermally activated electron hopping between spatially adjacent particles at room temperature and Coulomb blockade at low temperatures. We present a novel approach to experimentally determine the particles charging energies giving values of 6.7-25.4 meV dependent on the particles size and independent of the interparticle distance. These observations are supported by finite element method calculations showing the self-capacitance to be the determining value which only depends on the permittivity constant of the surrounding space and the particles radius.

MeSH terms

  • Computer Simulation
  • Crystallization / methods*
  • Electric Conductivity
  • Electrochemistry / methods*
  • Macromolecular Substances / chemistry
  • Metals / chemistry*
  • Models, Chemical*
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Nanostructures / chemistry*
  • Nanostructures / ultrastructure*
  • Nanotechnology / methods*
  • Particle Size
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Macromolecular Substances
  • Metals