Polyelectrolyte Multilayer as Matrix for Electrochemical Deposition of Gold Clusters: Toward Super-Hydrophobic Surface

摘要

This communication describes the use of a polyelectrolyte multilayer as a preformed matrix in electrochemical deposition to adjust the morphology of gold clusters, leading to the fabrication of a super-hydrophobic surface. The polyelectrolyte multilayer is fabricated by layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly technique, as introduced first by G. Decher. The LbL technique has proved to be a versatile method to assemble layered nanostructures with tailored composition and architecture, and it has been shown to have promising applications in areas such as chemical sensors or biosensors, enzyme immobilization, hollow capsules, surface patterning, separation membranes, microporous films, light-emitting diodes, erasable films, and nanocomposites. Recently, it has been exciting to see that the related research is not restricted to fundamental aspects but is extended from laboratories to commercial production, e.g. coating for contact lenses. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are few reports that combine LbL and electrochemical deposition for the formation of metal clusters.