title: Spontaneous, Solvent-Free, Polymer-Templated, Solid-Solid Transformation of Thin Metal Films into Nanoparticles.
abstract: Metal nanoparticles have unusual optical, electronic, sensing, recognition, catalytic, and therapeutic properties. They are expected to form the basis of many of the technological and biological innovations of this century. A prerequisite for future applications using nanoparticles as functional entities is control of the shape, size, and homogeneity of these nanoparticles and of their interparticle spacing and arrangement on surfaces, between electrodes, or in devices. Here, we demonstrate that thin films of gold, silver, and copper sputter-deposited onto the surface of an organic polymer poly[[1,1':4',1″-terphenyl]-4,4″-diyl(2-bromo-1-carboxyethylidene)] (PTBC) undergo spontaneous solid-solid transformation into nanoparticles. Furthermore, we show that, by varying the thickness of the films, the volume-to-surface ratio of the polymer substrate, and the amount of plasticizer, it is possible to control the rate of transformation and the morphology of the nanoparticles formed. PTBC containing Au nanoparticles was found to enhance the cell adhesion and proliferation. To the best of our knowledge, our findings constitute the first experimental evidence of spontaneous, room-temperature, solid-solid transformation of metal films sputtered onto the surface of an organic polymeric substrate into nanoparticles (crystals).
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Apartado Postal 70-360, CU, Coyoacán, 04510, Ciudad de México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hernández-Cruz
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Apartado Postal 70-360, CU, Coyoacán, 04510, Ciudad de México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Lizeth
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Avila-Gutierrez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Apartado Postal 70-360, CU, Coyoacán, 04510, Ciudad de México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Mikhail G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Zolotukhin
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Apartado Postal 70-360, CU, Coyoacán, 04510, Ciudad de México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Gonzalo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Apartado Postal 70-360, CU, Coyoacán, 04510, Ciudad de México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: B Marel
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Monroy
authors.affiliation: Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, México , San Rafael Atlixco 186, Vicentina, Iztapalapa, 09340 Ciudad de México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Raúl
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Montiel
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Apartado Postal 70-360, CU, Coyoacán, 04510, Ciudad de México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vera-Graziano
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Apartado Postal 70-360, CU, Coyoacán, 04510, Ciudad de México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Josue E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Romero-Ibarra
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Apartado Postal 70-360, CU, Coyoacán, 04510, Ciudad de México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Omar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Novelo-Peralta
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Cardiología "Ignacio Chávez", Juan Badiano 1 Col Sección XVI Tlalpan C.P., 14080 Ciudad de México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Felipe Alonso
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Massó Rojas
keywords: Metal nanoparticles; Ostwald ripening; dewetting; electrospinning; polymer template; spontaneous transformation