nanoparticles on ITO (Indium tin oxide) coated glass using the electrospray (ESI) method
Method:The starting point of this study is that the ESI/MS spectrum (Figure 1) of an ethanolic
solution of HAuCl 4 shows a reduction process of Au (III) strongly dependent on the Cone Voltage
(CV) values (20, 80, 150 V), affording to the ion at m/z 197 (Au+). Further, the decrease of the
abundance of this ion at the highest cone voltage suggests the subsequent its reduction with the
formation of Au
0
.
Figure 1: ESI/MS spectra of an ethanolic solution of HAuCl4 at various cone voltages:
Conclusion: Such experimental evidence leads us to use electrospray technique as a preparative
tool to obtain the formation and deposition of gold nanoparticles in a single step.
In fact, using a home-made electrospray apparatus, we sprayed an ethanolic solution of HAuCl4,
forming a very thin aerosol that has been uniformly deposited on ITO coated glass.
Then, the deposit by SEM, UV-Vis, Optical-Microscopy and XPS has been characterized4,5. In
particular, SEM micrographs show rod-like structures, while XPS spectra show that the deposited
nanoparticles contain about 23% of Au0
