AVS 51st International Symposium
    Nanometer-scale Science and Technology Wednesday Sessions
       Session NS-WeA

Paper NS-WeA5
Structural, Electronic and Frictional Properties of Gold Nanoclusters in Decane under Constrained Geometries

Wednesday, November 17, 2004, 3:20 pm, Room 213D

Session: Nanotribology and Nanomechanics
Presenter: S.H. Kim, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley
Authors: S.H. Kim, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley
F. Ogletree, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley
S. Hwang, Western Kentucky University
Y.-S. Shon, Western Kentucky University
M. Salmeron, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley
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We investigated the behavior of gold nanoclusters suspended in decane (C@sub 10@H@sub 22@) when confined in narrow gaps of a few nanometers. The gaps are made by two parallel and atomically smooth mica surfaces in the Surface Force Apparatus (SFA). The diameter of the nanoclusters ranges from 1.8 to 3.2 nm. They are capped with alkanethiolate ligands of different lengths (C@sub 6@S or C@sub 15@S) to prevent metallic contact. Layering transitions of at least 3 layers are observed, indicating that the nanoclusters form ordered layers in the confined geometry. The mechanical and tribological properties (compressibility, shear resistance), and the dielectric properties of these clusters show remarkable variations with size, ligand length and confining pressure.