Size-Selective Nanoparticle Growth on Few-Layer Graphene Films

We observe chat gold atoms deposited by physical vapor deposition onto few-layer graphenes condense upon annealing to form nanoparticles with an average diameter that is determined by the graphene film thickness, The data are well described by a theoretical model in which the electrostatic interactions arising from charge transfer between the graphene and the gold particle limit the size of the growing nanoparticles. The model predicts a nanoparticle size distribution characterized by a mean diameter 6 that follows a (D) over bar alpha m(1/3) mill scaling law where in is the number of carbon layers in the few-layer graphene film.