Nanoparticle Arrays on Surfaces for Electronic, Optical, and Sensor Applications

Particles in the nanometer size range are attracting increasing attention with the growth of interest in nanotechnological disciplines. Nanoparticles display fascinating electronic and optical properties as a consequence of their dimensions and they may be easily synthesized from a wide range of materials. The dimensions of these particles makes them ideal candidates for the nanoengineering of surfaces and the fabrication of functional nanostructures. In the last five years, much effort has been expended on their organization on surfaces for the construction of functional interfaces. In this review, we address the research that has led to numerous sensing, electronic, optoelectronic, and photoelectronic interfaces, and also take time to cover the synthesis and characterization of nanoparticles and nanoparticle arrays. The organization of mono‐ and multilayer structures of nanoparticles is an important aspect of nanoscale chemistry. These nanoparticles are connected to a substrate by a variety of linking groups and forces. The nanoparticle architectures have facilitated the development of a wide range of new devices. The picture shows an oligocation‐crosslinked array of anionic gold nanoparticles.