A Single-Step Route Towards Large-Scale Deposition of Nanocomposite Thin films Using Preformed Gold Nanoparticles
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A Single-Step Route Towards Large-Scale Deposition of Nanocomposite Thin films Using Preformed Gold Nanoparticles Weiliang Wang1, Kevin Cassar2, Steve Sheard1, Peter Dobson1, Simon Hurst3, Peter Bishop2, Ivan Parkin4 1 Engineering Science, Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom 2 Johnson Matthey Technology Centre, Reading, United Kingdom 3 Pilkington Technology Centre, Lathom, United Kingdom 4 Chemistry, University College London, London, United Kingdom ABSTRACT We have been developing noble metal nanoparticles and nanocomposites for large scale application to glass surfaces. The novel functionality of the nanocomposites is attributed to the properties of both the metal nanoparticles and host matrix. Here a single-process route to nanocomposite thin films by spray deposition technique has been investigated. Preformed gold nanoparticles have been incorporated into several different transition metal oxides (TiO2, SnO2, ZnO). The nanocomposite films showed intense coloration due to the surface plasmon resonance effects of gold nanoparticles embedded in the host matrix. The gold nanoparticles were found well embedded into the host metal oxides homogeneously. This film deposition method can easily be scaled up and is compatible with current industrial on-line processes.
INTRODUCTION Nanocomposite materials based on noble nanoparticles (NPs) within a metal oxide matrix have been an intensive area of research due to their intriguing functional properties that can be tailored by the nanoparticle size, shape and surrounding medium [1-3]. Noble metal nanoparticles, e.g. Au, Ag, Cu, generally exhibit a strong absorption peak in the visible range of the spectrum, due to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect, which has led to application in optical devices [4, 5]. Dielectric materials, especially transition metal oxides, have been extensively investigated in their own right due to their functional properties, such as photocatalysis, electrochromism and solar control [6-9]. Nanocomposites comprising a host material and embedded metal particles therefore bear the combined functionalities of both phases and can be carefully selected to exploit the desired properties of either material. Such kind of nanocomposites have shown potential applications in glass manufacturing, catalysis and electronics industries [10]. Here we report a single-step process for production of nanocomposite thin films using a preformed gold colloid. Several different transition metal oxides (TiO2, SnO2, ZnO) are investigated as the host materials. The deposition is based on the spray pyrolysis technique which is simple, flexible and capable of scale up for large area deposition with potentially a low processing cost. We have successfully deposited the composite thin films with Au nanoparticles homogeneously embedded in the host matrix.
EXPERIMENT Gold nanoparticles were synthesised and dispersed in water or ethanol, in which the resultant concentration of gold is 0.14%. The precursors for TiO2, SnO2 and ZnO are supplied from Johnson Ma
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