Visible Light-induced Immobilization of Gold Nanoparticles on Silicon Substrates

Closely packed two-dimensional (2D) arrays of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were successfully immobilized on Si(111) substrates, using the photochemical reaction between alkanethiol-capped AuNPs and hydrogen-terminated silicon surfaces (Si-H). This process provides a new approach to construct high-density AuNP nanostructures on a semiconductor substrate. Optical property measurements demonstrated that the plasmonic properties of the AuNP arrays can be tuned by controlling the density and the interparticle distance of the AuNPs