Electrospraying of colloidal nanoparticles for seeding of nanostructure growth

Abstract

Nanometre-sized particles (1-100 nm) have unique properties receiving growing attention in wide areas of research. Here, a convenient method to deposit size-selected nanoparticles on surfaces by means of electrospraying colloidal suspensions in the aerosol phase is presented. We demonstrate the deposition of individual nanoparticles and the feasibility of this method in seeding gold particles for nanostructure growth. An advantage of the present method is the easy set-up and operation, using only commercially available machinery and substances. Problems regarding low deposition rates and colloidal remnants are approached, e. g. the aerosol flow is examined in a differential mobility analyser. This method is not material dependent and could be extended to deposit any colloidal particle.