Confined Silver Nanoparticles in Ionic Liquid Films.

This work reports the formation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by sputter deposition in thin films of three different ionic liquids (ILs) with the same anion (bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide) and cation (imidazolium), but with different alkyl chain lengths and symmetries in the cationic moiety ([CCim][NTf], [CCim][NTf], and [CCim][NTf]). Ionic liquid (IL) films in the form of microdroplets with different thicknesses (200 to 800 monolayers) were obtained through vacuum thermal evaporation onto glass substrates coated with indium tin oxide (ITO). The sputtering process of the Ag onto the ILs when conducted simultaneously with argon plasma promoted the coalescence of the ILs' droplets and the formation, incorporation, and stabilization of the metallic nanoparticles in the coalesced IL films.

Morphology, Structure, and Dynamics of Pentacene Thin Films and Their Nanocomposites with [C C im][NTf ] and [C C im][OTF] Ionic Liquids.

In this study, a homogeneous thin film growth of pentacene onto indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass surfaces is explored using a high-resolution and reproducible vapor deposition methodology. Moreover, vacuum thermal evaporation of ionic liquids (ILs) ([C C im][NTf ] and [C C im][OTF]) onto ITO, gold/palladium (AuPd) and pentacene surfaces were performed. A greater wettability behavior of ILs is observed for surfaces containing AuPd.