Hierarchical organization of Au nanoparticles in a poly(vinyl carbazole) matrix for hybrid electronic devices

We report a novel one-step method for the preparation of hierarchically patterned Au nanoparticles in a conducting polymer matrix by controlling the interface properties between Au nanoparticles and the conducting polymer matrix. The terminal group of capping molecules for the Au nanoparticles was modified to change the interface properties, not to change the size of the Au nanoparticles which affects their intrinsic properties. By modulating the interface properties, it is possible to construct Au nanoparticle-conducting polymer composites with two different structures: one presents a triple layer in which the conducting polymer layer is sandwiched between Au nanoparticle layers at the top and bottom; the other exhibits a form like a raisin cake in which Au nanoparticles are homogeneously organized in the conducting polymer matrix. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy was used to study the morphology and patterning of Au nanoparticles in the conducting polymer matrix.