Monolayers of nanosized Au55-clusters: preparation and characterization

Nanosized metallic clusters composed of 55 gold atoms isolated from each other by different organic ligand shells, with a total size of 2.1–4.2 nm in diameter, were fabricated as monolayers on various technically relevant substrates by using the Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) technique. The monolayer behavior of these clusters at the air/water interface is characterized with pressure-area isotherms and Brewster angle microscopy (BAM). Scanning force microscopy (SFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) reveals a partially close packing of the clusters in monolayers.