Pulsed current electrodeposition of gold nanostructures on ITO: control of particle density and optical transmission

Abstract

With the advance in the plasmonics and metamaterials research field, it has become increasingly crucial to fabricate thin Au metal films cost-effectively and reliably. Here, we study the deposition of gold nanostructures onto the ITO surfaces, using the pulsed current electrodeposition (PED) method, with a pre-seeding step. It was demonstrated that Au nanostructure (AuNS) particle lateral sizes, when deposited onto ITO surfaces, are influenced by deposition current. The lateral size of the particles was found to affect the AuNS density and final form of the film. The study's findings also show that dense films (c.a. 75 %) of Au nanostructures with a thickness of around 5 nm can be formed using the PED method with an optimum current density of 2 A/dm${^2}$. Furthermore, the AuNS density has been shown to have a strong influence upon the resulting electrical conductivity and transmittance of the films in the visible and near-infrared wavelength.