FORMATION OF THIN-FILMS OF PLATINUM, PALLADIUM, AND MIXED PLATINUM/PALLADIUN NANOCRYSTALLITES BY THE LANGMUIR MONOLAYER TECHNIQUE

Chloroform solutions of colloidal platinum, palladium, and mixed platinum:palladium = 1:1 particles were prepared by using a solvent extraction technique with distearyldimethylammonium chloride surfactant. The metal colloid solutions were dispersed on a water subphase in a Langmuir trough to generate particulate films and their surface pressure vs surface area isotherms were determined. The structures of the films were investigated by using Brewster-angle microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. It was demonstrated, by in situ reflectivity measurements, that the films had thicknesses in the order of 30 Angstrom. Transfer of the films to solid substrates was investigated by using standard Langmuir-Blodgett techniques.