Inorganic Chemistry Commons^™

Electron Hopping Conductivity And Vapor Sensing Properties Of Flexible Network Polymer Films Of Metal Nanoparticles, Francis P. Zamborini, Michael C. Leopold, Jocelyn F. Hicks, Pawel J. Kulesza, Marcin A. Malik, Royce W. Murray

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Films of monolayer protected Au clusters (MPCs) with mixed alkanethiolate and ω-carboxylate alkanethiolate monolayers, linked together in a network polymer by carboxylate-Cu2+-carboxylate bridges, exhibit electronic conductivities (σEL) that vary with both the numbers of methylene segments in the ligands and the bathing medium (N2, liquid or vapor). A chainlength-dependent swelling/contraction of the film's internal structure is shown to account for changes in σEL. The linker chains appear to have sufficient flexibility to collapse and fold with varied degrees of film swelling or dryness. Conductivity is most influenced (exponentially dependent) by the chainlength of the nonlinker (alkanethiolate) ligands, a result consistent …