Deposition of passivated gold nanoclusters onto prepatterned substrates

Abstract

Gold nanoclusters, chemically passivated with decanethiol, have been deposited from solution onto silicon dioxide surfaces prepatterned by photolithography. After lift-off of the photoresist, preferential cluster accumulation is observed along the edges of the resist structures. Elsewhere on the hydrophilic surface, islands of clusters are observed. By contrast, HF treatment, creating a hydrophobic surface, leads to wetting of the unmasked regions of the substrate by the passivated clusters.