Shaping Copper Oxide Layers on Gold Nanoparticle Ensembles by Controlled Electrodeposition with Single Particle Scatterometry

Abstract

Electrodeposition of copper on gold nanoelectrode ensembles result in the formation of uniform copper oxide layers on individual nanoparticles. A linear sweep of voltammetric change induces three distinct morphologies dependent upon particle density. Ex situ imaging and in situ scatterometry at a single-particle level identifies multi-step electrochemical growth sequences that deviated from classical nucleation and growth pathways. In addition, the study demonstrated the possibility of synthesizing sophisticated structures based on the symmetry of nanoelectrodes. This result guides the nanoscale morphology control of electrode ensembles with potential application in electrocatalysis and sensing.

Keywords: dark-field microscopy; electrochemical Ostwald ripening; electrodeposition; nanoelectrode ensemble.