Metal Colloids and Thin Films

该奖项支持堪萨斯州立大学的Kenneth J.KLabunde博士参与与智利康塞普西翁大学的Galo Cardenas-Trivino博士的合作研究计划，重点是一种新的薄膜形式的稳定胶体的生产和表征。美国首席研究人员开发了一种方法，基于金属原子在有机溶剂中的低温聚集，使用非水介质制备稳定的薄膜金属胶体。得到的胶体颗粒异常纯净，可以结合成具有有趣的电学和光学性质的薄膜形式。所得到的胶体和金属薄膜的性质是无法预先预测的，但可能是绝缘的、金属的或半导体的，因此可能有重要的用途。例如，这些薄膜可能在光学上类似于金属薄膜，但它们只是劣质的导电体。这些性质，以及其他可能被证明的可能性，构成了这项工作的刺激因素，这项工作将先前使用Au和Pd形成的胶体扩展到铂、铜、银、锌、镉、镓、铟、锗、锡和铅。胶体的形成也将使用各种溶剂。所生成的胶体颗粒和薄膜将使用电泳法、电子显微镜、光谱分析、热重分析和其他电和热测量进行研究。合作的目标包括胶体颗粒和由胶体颗粒产生的薄膜的表征。在这个合作项目中，胶体和薄膜的制备将主要在美国研究人员的实验室进行，而表征将主要在智利合作者的实验室进行。考虑到已观察到的材料的一系列性质，除了提高我们对非水介质中颗粒稳定性的一般理解外，这项工作还可能导致开发用于陶瓷、电子或催化剂行业的材料，应用于装饰涂料、半导体、导体、太阳能电池等。

This award supports the participation of Dr. Kenneth J. Klabunde of Kansas State University in a program of cooperative research with Dr. Galo Cardenas-Trivino of the University of Concepcion, Chile, focusing on the producion and characterization of a new class of stable colloids in thin-film form. The U.S. principal investigator has developed a method, based on the clustering of metal atoms in organic solvents at low temperature, for producing stable thin-film metal colloids using non-aqueous media. The resulting colloidal particles are unusually pure and can be combined in thin-film forms with interesting electrical and optical properties. The properties of the resulting colloids and metallic films are not predictable a priori, but may turn out to be insulating, metallic, or semiconducting, and therefore may have important uses. For example, the films may optically resemble metal films but be only poor electrical conductors. These properties, and the possibilities that others may be evidenced, form the stimulus for this work, which extends previous colloidal formation using Au and Pd to Pt, Cu, Ag, Zn, Cd, Ga, In, Ge, Sn, and Pb. Various solvents will also be used in colloidal formation. The resultant colloid particles and thin films will be studied using electrophoresis, electron microscopy, spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and other electrical and thermal measurements. The objectives of the collaboration include the characterization of both the colloidal particles and the thin films produced from them. In this cooperative project colloid and thin film preparation will be carried out primarily in the U.S. investigator's laboratory, while characterization will primarily be pursued in the laboratory of the Chilean collaborator. Considering the range of properties of the materials already observed, in addition to an improvement in our general understanding of particle stabilization in non-aqueous media, this work could result in the development of materials useful in the ceramics, electronics, or catalyst industries, with applications as decorative coatings, semiconductors, conductors, solar cells, etc.