title: Aggregation and coarsening of ligand-stabilized gold nanoparticles in poly(methyl methacrylate) thin films.
abstract: Dodecanethiol-stabilized gold nanoparticles (5 nm diameter) are shown to self-organize to form a two-dimensional hexagonal structure in poly(methyl methacrylate) films upon spin-casting from solution onto a substrate, using high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy. Through use of the distribution functions describing particle distributions, we show that the particle coarsening dynamics is self-similar, characterized by two distinct growth stages. During the initial stage, coarsening occurs via simultaneous Ostwald ripening and coalescence mechanisms, whereas during the second stage, the dominant coarsening mechanism is coalescence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Meli
authors.forename: Peter F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Green
mesh_terms: D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D008024:Ligands; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D010316:Particle Size; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D008024:Ligands; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D006046:Gold; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate