Correlation between structure and optoelectronic properties in a two‐dimensional nanoparticle assembly

The optical properties of two‐dimensional assemblies of metal nanoparticles are strongly influenced by the morphological configuration of the metal particles in the layer. Therefore, we correlate the structural and optical properties of two‐dimensional, hexagonal gold nanoparticle arrays. We characterize the structure of the arrays using grazing‐incidence small angle X‐ray scattering (GISAXS). From the GISAXS pattern, we determine the size of the gold particles as well as the lattice spacing of the hexagonal assembly. Based upon these parameters we calculate the dielectric function of the gold particle array using the Maxwell–Garnett effective medium theory. We further deduce the absorption spectrum which closely follows the measured absorption and photoconductance spectrum. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)