The impact of fabrication conditions on the quality of Au nanoparticle arrays on dimpled Ta templates.

Highly ordered dimpled Ta (DT) nanotemplates, prepared by electrochemical anodization of Ta, were recently reported to be ideally suited for the fabrication of a Au nanoparticle (NP) array using a Au thin film dewetting method. Here, we provide guidance and understanding of the effect of the DT fabrication and Au film deposition steps on the characteristics of the resulting NP array. Specifically, the optimum anodization time, voltage and solution composition are established, and the thickness of the sputter-deposited metal film is shown to be a very important parameter in achieving the desired single Au NP per dimple. The resulting high quality Au NP arrays are demonstrated to be electrochemically addressable, with the total Au surface area, measured electrochemically for large-scale samples, agreeing with the calculated area, based on scanning electron microscope determination of average particle shape and distribution. As the NP formation process proceeds via confined thin film dewetting, the protocol developed here should be applicable to the formation of NP arrays of a range of other metals and alloys.