Single-step preparation of two-dimensionally organized gold particles via ionic liquid/metal sputter deposition.

Sputtering of noble metals, such as Au, Ag, Pd, and Pt, onto room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) enabled the formation of monoparticle films composed of spherical noble metal nanoparticles on the liquid surface only when the RTILs used contained hydroxyl-functionalized cations as a component. Sputter deposition of these metals under the same conditions simply produced well-dispersed metal particles without the formation of any films on the solution surface when pure RTILs with non-functionalized cations were employed. Anionic species, even those containing a hydroxyl group, did not significantly affect the formation of the particle film on the RTIL surface or dispersion of particles in the solution. The size of Au particles could be controlled by varying the sputtering condition regardless of the two-dimensional particle density, which was determined by the composition of RTILs used. An Au monoparticle film on the RTIL surface was easily transferred onto various solid substrates via the horizontal liftoff method without large aggregation even when the substrate surface was highly curved.