an0c01010_si_001.pdf (1.12 MB)
Photo-Induced Self-Assembly of Silver Nanoparticles for Rapid Generation of First and Second Surface Mirrors
journal contribution
posted on 2020-07-02, 15:44 authored by Etienne Caillosse, Mohamed Zaier, Mariam Mezghani, Samar Hajjar-Garreau, Loïc Vidal, Daniel Lougnot, Lavinia BalanInteresting
mirror-like, highly reflective, and conductive silver
films have been successfully generated directly on a glass slide using
a simple and fast photoinduced approach. A water-based photosensitive
formulation containing the silver precursor and a photogenerator of
free radicals was used. It was applied like paint and exposed to UV
light for a few seconds, in the absence of any additional reducing
agents and without further treatment of any kind. This approach allowed
ultrathin films of silver nanoparticles to be generated in situ (AgNPs)
on the back side of the glass substrate. The particles are homogeneously
autoassembled onto the glass surface and the glass/silver diopter
exhibits a high reflective character. With such an experimental arrangement,
reflective surfaces are obtained: in contact with the glass slide,
which is called the second surface mirror, and on the air side, which
is called the first surface mirror. Quite interestingly, these reflective
and conductive thin films exhibit strong natural adhesion on the glass
substrate without the need for enhancing treatments (sensitization
or activation) to improve the adhesion of the silver layer to the
glass, as usual with silver glass mirrors. The influence of several
chemical and photonic parameters has been examined in order to optimize
the final optical and electrical properties of these silver films.