Issue 2, 2021

Real-time insight into nanostructure evolution during the rapid formation of ultra-thin gold layers on polymers

Abstract

Ultra-thin metal layers on polymer thin films attract tremendous research interest for advanced flexible optoelectronic applications, including organic photovoltaics, light emitting diodes and sensors. To realize the large-scale production of such metal–polymer hybrid materials, high rate sputter deposition is of particular interest. Here, we witness the birth of a metal–polymer hybrid material by quantifying in situ with unprecedented time-resolution of 0.5 ms the temporal evolution of interfacial morphology during the rapid formation of ultra-thin gold layers on thin polystyrene films. We monitor average non-equilibrium cluster geometries, transient interface morphologies and the effective near-surface gold diffusion. At 1 s sputter deposition, the polymer matrix has already been enriched with 1% gold and an intermixing layer has formed with a depth of over 3.5 nm. Furthermore, we experimentally observe unexpected changes in aspect ratios of ultra-small gold clusters growing in the vicinity of polymer chains. For the first time, this approach enables four-dimensional insights at atomic scales during the gold growth under non-equilibrium conditions.

Graphical abstract: Real-time insight into nanostructure evolution during the rapid formation of ultra-thin gold layers on polymers

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
09 9月 2020
Accepted
24 11月 2020
First published
25 11月 2020

Nanoscale Horiz., 2021,6, 132-138

Real-time insight into nanostructure evolution during the rapid formation of ultra-thin gold layers on polymers

M. Schwartzkopf, S. Wöhnert, V. Waclawek, N. Carstens, A. Rothkirch, J. Rubeck, M. Gensch, J. Drewes, O. Polonskyi, T. Strunskus, A. M. Hinz, S. J. Schaper, V. Körstgens, P. Müller-Buschbaum, F. Faupel and S. V. Roth, Nanoscale Horiz., 2021, 6, 132 DOI: 10.1039/D0NH00538J

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