We fabricated silver nanoisland films and patterned silver nanoisland films using out-diffusion of silver from glass in the course of the ion-exchanged glass substrate annealing in reducing hydrogen atmosphere. The choice of the annealing conditions allows to provide prevailing of silver nanoisland formation over the formation of silver nanoparticles in the bulk of the glass. The procedure of the patterned film formation includes (i) silver-sodium ion exchange in the glass, (ii) thermal poling of the ion-exchanged glass with a profiled anodic electrode, and (iii) annealing the glass in hydrogen. The formation of silver nanoislands in unpoled regions on the glass surface allowed us to avoid any post-processing of very fragile silver island film in formation of 2D-patterned nanoisland structures. Poling of the glass with properly profiled electrode was used for the formation of random chains and ordered arrays of separate silver nanoislands. Depending on processing parameters, a typical island size in the films and chains varied from several to tens of nanometers, and was down to 200 nm in the arrays.
Growth of self-assembled metal nanoislands on the surface of silver ion-exchanged glasses via their thermal processing in hydrogen followed by out-diffusion of neutral silver is studied. The combination of thermal poling of the ion-exchanged glass with structured electrode and silver out-diffusion was used for simple formation of separated groups of several metal nanoislands presenting plasmonic molecules. The kinetics of nanoisland formation and temporal evolution of their size distribution on the surface of poled and unpoled glass are modeled.PACS78.67.Sc (nanoaggregates; nanocomposites); 81.16.Dn (self-assembly); 68.35.bj (surface structure of glasses); 64.60.Qb (Nucleation); 81.16.Nd (micro- and nanolithography)
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