Deposition of Gold Nanoparticles on Silicon in the Pulse Mode of Electrolysis in a DMSO Solution

We study the deposition of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on a surface of silicon in the pulse mode of electrolysis in dimethyl sulfoxide solutions of 2–8 mM HAuCl 4 under the potentials E = (– 1.6) – (– 2.2) V. It is shown that, in the course of electrodeposition, we observe the predominant 2D filling of the substrate surface with deposits, ranging from the nanosized discrete particles to nanostructured porous films. It is shown that the geometry of AuNPs is mainly affected by the cathode potential, the concentration of ions of the reduced metal, and the duration of electrolysis. It is also demonstrated that gold nanoparticles 50–100 nm in size are formed in a medium of an organic aprotic solvent. We present the results of atomic-force and scanning electron microscopies and the histograms of distributions of particles in sizes depending on the conditions of electrolysis.