Stepwise Construction of Conductive Au Colloid Multilayers from Solution

Abstract

Very highly conductive Au films on glass substrates have been prepared by stepwise, layer-by-layer immobilization of 11-nm diameter colloidal Au particles and a short organic cross-linker. Particle coverage, optical spectra, nanometer-scale topography, and electrical resistance have been measured as a function of the number of colloidal Au layers and reveal a rapid transition from insulating to metallic behavior.