Assembly of metal nanoparticle-carbon nanotube composite materials at the liquid/liquid interface

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-mediated self-assembly of metal (Au and Ag) nanoparticles at the liquid/liquid interface in the form of a stable nanocomposite film is reported. The metallic luster results from the electronic coupling of nanoparticles, suggesting the formation of closely packed nanoparticle thin films. The interfacial film could be transferred to mica substrates and carbon-coated transmission electron microscopy (TEM) grids. The transferred films were very stable for a prolonged time. The samples were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), TEM, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). SEM and TEM results show that the films formed at the liquid/liquid interface are indeed composite materials consisting of CNTs and nanoparticles. XPS measurements further indicate the presence of the interaction between nanoparticles and CNTs.