(434e) Nanocrystal Infusion In Mesoporous Metal Oxide Thin Films

Nanocomposites of metals and mesoporous metal oxide thin films are of growing interest for a wide range of applications including photocatalysis, photovoltaics, and chemical sensors. The objective is to incorporate metal nanocrystals into the mesoporous metal oxide films with high dispersion over a range of metal loading. The TiO2 thin films on a conductive substrate are 50 to 200 nm thick with pores on the order of 10 nm. Electrophoretic deposition with voltages from 25 to 50 V is utilized to deposit gold nanocrystals into the pores. The ligands on the nanocrystals prevent aggregation and influence the particle charge, and thus the deposition. The nanocomposites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), conductive probe atomic force microscopy (AFM), ellipsometry, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to probe the depth of infusion. The conductive probe measurements indicate the films are highly conductive, which is beneficial for photovoltaics and sensors.