Arbitrary Gold Nanoparticle Arrays Fabricated through AFM Nanoxerography and Interfacial Seeded Growth

Based on arrays of Au seeds fabricated with atomic force microscopy (AFM) nanoxerography, the seeded growth of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) on surface is achieved. The size evolution of Au NPs in each spot is tracked by in situ AFM and SEM images because each spot can be easily localized in the array system. The extinction microspectra extracted in real time with enhanced signals and red-shift can further monitor the increasing size of Au NPs. As a powerful platform, AFM nanoxerography makes it easy to tune the spot size and the intervals among spots in the Au NP arrays without preparing a template. It also allows for fabricating arbitrary patterns including various symbols and graphs. More interestingly, the in situ growth of Au NPs offers an approach to decreasing the interparticle distance, and thus forming closely interconnected Au nanowire assembly, exhibiting immense potential in the nanoelectronic system.