Monitoring and modeling the deposition of metal nanoparticles on surfaces by impedance

Author(s)

Hensel, Rafael C. ^[1] ; Goncalves, Maria H. ^[1] ; Rodrigues, Kevin L. ^{[1, 2]} ; Oiko, Vitor T. A. ^{[3, 1]} ; Pimentel, Vinicius do L. ^{[4, 5]} ; Pereira-da-Silva, Marcelo A. ^{[6, 7]} ; Hillenkamp, Matthias ^{[1, 8]} ; Riul, Jr., Antonio ^[1] ; Rodrigues, Varlei ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Fis Gleb Wataghin, 777 Sergio Buarque Holanda St Cidade Univ Zeferin, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Minas Gerais, Dept Fis, Inst Ciencias Exatas, 6627 Av Pres Antonio Carlos, Belo Horizonte, MG - Brazil

^[3] Univ Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9PL, Lancs - England

^[4] Ctr Tecnol Informacao Renato Archer, Rodovia Dom Pedro I SP 65, Km 143, 6, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Estadual Campinas, Fac Engn Elect & Comp, 400 Albert Einstein Ave Cidade Univ Zeferino Vaz, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[6] Ctr Univ Cent Paulista UNICEP, Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[7] Inst Fis Sao Carlos IFSC USP, Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[8] Univ Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Univ Lyon, Inst Light & Matter, UMR5306, CNRS, F-69622 Villeurbanne - France

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Applied Surface Science; v. 544, APR 1 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

The study of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) on surfaces and their properties has become a common subject for a variety of areas. Notably, to exploit the unique intrinsic features of deposited NPs in macroscopic devices, samples with low coverage are required. The electrical characterization techniques have, however, so far been limited to systems near or beyond the percolation limit, when the nanostructure's resistive behavior is dominant. Here we describe the impedance response of interdigitated electrodes (IDE) during Ag NP deposition, from the very beginning up to the percolation limit. Our experiments present two regimes: up to similar to 20% of coverage the capacitance grows linearly with the deposition, increasing abruptly afterward. To understand the experimental data, we propose a model in which the capacitance response is attributed to isolated and agglomerated NPs. Initially, isolated NPs contribute to the capacitive response. Beyond similar to 20% coverage, shielded regions of the IDE due to agglomerated NP islands start to dominate until eventually percolation leads to a predominantly conductive signal. These interpretations are supported by Electron Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy. The proposed analysis allows improving the control of the concentration of NP deposited on surfaces systems with low coverage by impedance monitoring. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/12807-4 - Polymer layers with embedded metal nanoparticles: building blocks for (bio)sensors
• Grantee: Osvaldo Novais de Oliveira Junior
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International
• FAPESP's process: 14/03691-7 - Fabrication of microfluidic devices envisanging aplications in precision agriculture and bioenergy
• Grantee: Antonio Riul Júnior
• Support Opportunities: Program for Research on Bioenergy (BIOEN) - Regular Program Grants
• FAPESP's process: 13/14262-7 - Nanostructured films from biologically-relevant materials
• Grantee: Osvaldo Novais de Oliveira Junior
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants