Flat gold nanoparticles (FGNPs) grown in aqueous solution have large Au{111} facets that are excellent substrates for scanning probe microscopy. However adsorbed stabilizers (e.g. polyelectrolytes) must be removed or displaced before the FGNP surfaces can be used as single crystal surfaces. We have explored the effects of plasma cleaning, UV ozone, CO2 snow cleaning, and thermal annealing on the Au{111} terrace structure using STM. We have also applied an addressed grid system to track and to correlate images of selected particles through the cleaning and annealing procedures using SEM, AFM, and optical.

This work has been supported by NSF CAREER grant No. CHE- 0239803, NSF MRSEC No. DMR-0080054, and AFOSR No. FA9550- 06-1-0365.