Sputtering onto low vapor pressure liquids has garnered a lot of attention due to the ease of creating metal thin films and nanoparticles. However, the effects of the liquid viscosity and surface tension on the resulting morphologies has been neglected. In this work, we studied DC magnetron sputtering of gold and silver onto liquid substrates of varying viscosities and surface tensions. We were able to decouple the effects of viscosity from surface tension by depositing the metals onto silicone oils with a range of viscosities. The effects of surface tension were studied by depositing the metals onto squalene, poly(ethylene glycol), and glycerol. It was found that dispersed nanoparticles formed on liquids with low surface tension and low viscosity whereas dense films formed on liquids with low surface tension and high viscosity. We also observed that nanoparticles formed on both the liquid surface and within the bulk liquid for high surface tension liquids. Our results can be used to tailor the metal and liquid interaction to facilitate the fabrication particles and films for various applications in optics, electronics, and catalysis.

Viscosity and surface tension effects on metal sputtered onto low vapor pressure liquids

256th National Meeting (2018)

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