Deposition of colloidal gold nanoparticles by fully pulsed-voltage-controlled electrohydrodynamic atomisation

Pulsed electrohydrodynamic atomisation (EHDA) of aqueous 10 nm gold colloid in a full voltage-controlled form was investigated. By using 4 µm and 20 μm nozzles, electrified fluid jet was emitted and Au nanoparticles in the jet were deposited onto a silicon substrate. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that different morphology of the artifact was formed by using different voltages pulses. Particularly, island-liked artifact down to 10 μm can be produced regularly in the case of cone-jet mode by low voltage pulse. Our results demonstrate pulsed EHDA is a promising approach in creating micro-patterns of colloid-based nanomaterials.