Optical Characterization of Gold Nanoparticle Layers Formed on Plastic Microbeads

• Published in: Analytical Sciences Vol. 32; no. 3; pp. 281 - 285
• Main Authors: SHIIGI, Hiroshi, FUJITA, Takahiro, SHAN, Xueling, TERABE, Masahiro, MIHASHI, Atsushi, YAMAMOTO, Yojiro, NAGAOKA, Tsutomu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore The Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry 2016; Springer Nature Singapore; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: Analytical Chemistry; Chemistry; conducting microbead; Cross sections; evaluation of coverage and thickness; Gold; Gold nanoparticle; Mathematical analysis; metal coating; Microscopy; Nanoparticles; Optical properties; Planar structures; Thin films; evaluation of coverage and thickness; Gold nanoparlicle; metal coating; conducting microbead
• ISSN: 0910-6340; 1348-2246
• DOI: 10.2116/analsci.32.281

Generally, the characterization of a metal layer formed on a planar substrate has been achieved using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. These techniques provide details of the surface and/or the cross-section of a planar structure with high resolution. However, the evaluation of sphere-like structures is troublesome owing to the necessity to observe a sample from various angles and/or to calculate the yield from many values obtained for many samples, since the conventional methods can observe a sample only from one direction. We have developed a simple evaluation method for a thin metal layer on plastic microbeads based on its light-scattering properties using dark-field microscopy coupled with a spectrometer. The light-scattering intensity of gold-nanoparticle-coated microbeads depends significantly on the gold coverage. We believe that our study is significant because it describes the development and evaluation of the surface coverage of a thin metal layer on a sphere-like microstructure.