Formation mechanism of robust silver nanoparticle film with superhydrophobicity

The promising formation mechanism of Ag nanoparticles on a Si wafer displaying superhydrophobicity, generated by means of a facile in situ galvanic cell route, is discussed. The results showed that the promising formation of Ag nanoparticles is based on a microelectrochemical redox reaction in which both the anodic process and the cathodic process occur simultaneously on the silicon substrate surface. This discovery could be of great importance in the design of other metal/semiconductor systems. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3525574]