Electrical Properties of Metallic Nanoparticle Films

Nanoparticles (NPs) display a wide range of electrical behavior depending on the particle material, shape, and local environment. Particularly, the electronic properties of metallic NP films can be greatly influenced by the self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) which coat the particles' surfaces. This talk will focus on a class of nanoparticle-based materials whose conductivity can change drastically based on how the SAM is influenced by various external stimuli (i.e. irradiation with light causes photoconductance and inverse photoconductance). Such materials can be used to create elementary circuitry made entirely out of metallic NPs.