Analytical electron microscopy of gold nanoparticles on nano/microdiamond supports

Gold was loaded on a dry powder sample (<10 nm) and an aqueous mono-dispersion (4-5 nm) of nanodiamonds and on diamond micropowders (1-2.5 μm) by sol immobilization and double impregnation. The obtained materials were investigated by electron microscopy-based techniques, like high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, which permits the imaging of a sample at the atomic scale. Other analytical electron microscopy techniques such as high-angle annular dark-field imaging and energy-dispersive spectrometry were also used to characterize the gold deposits on the different diamond particle supports. It was found that the gold loading by double impregnation leads to somewhat smaller gold nanoparticles (from 5.0 to 5.8 nm average size) than sol immobilization (from 7.6 to 8.4 nm).

ISBN:978-84-939843-6-6

Jaar van publicatie:2012