Long-timescale dynamics of thiol capped Au nanoparticle clusters at the air-water interface

Abstract

A two-dimensional network of thiol-capped Au nanoparticle (AuNP) clusters is self-organized on a Stearic Acid (amphiphilic fatty acid) Langmuir monolayer on water surface. The AuNP clusters are found to form a pattern of connected and enclosed microspaces in the stearic acid template. The network features can be controlled by changing the surface pressure of the monolayer during compression. The two-dimensional dynamics of this network has been studied over a long timescale using Brewster Angle Microscopy (BAM). The dynamics is very slow, indicating the stability of the network system, and is essentially driven by the tendency to lower the number of nodes or joints in the network.