- June 6, 2017 10:12
- Jo De Wachter
-
Nanoscale Physics Research Laboratory, School of Physics and Astronomy,
University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT,
United Kingdom
APL Materials 5, 053405 (2017)
Published Online: March 2017
Accepted: January 2017
A new method for the production of colloidal suspensions of physically deposited clusters is demonstrated. A cluster source has been used to deposit size-controlled clusters onto water-soluble polymer films, which are then dissolved to produce colloidal suspensions of clusters encapsulated with polymer molecules. This process has been demonstrated using different cluster materials (Au and Ag) and polymers (polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, and polyethylene glycol). Scanning transmission electron microscopy of the clusters before and after colloidal dispersion confirms that the polymers act as stabilizing agents. We propose that this method is suitable for the production of biocompatible colloids of ultraprecise clusters.
Open Access.