Mapping the morphological changes of deposited gold nanoparticles across an imprinted groove

The gradient gold layer morphology below the percolation threshold along a channel groove imprinted into a pressure-sensitive adhesive polymer film is studied. In order to elucidate the complex nanostructure of the sputter-deposited gold nanoparticle layer, nanobeam grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering and imaging ellipsometry are used. Thus, the complex nanostructure of this metal-polymer nanocomposite can be detected, distinguished and identified. The presence of macroscopically curved structures, as introduced by the imprinted ridges, can cause deviations from the mean metal nanoparticle morphology, probed on the 'flat' sample area outside the ridges. The phase-separated morphology of the polymer film is rather unaffected by the imprint structure but leads, in addition, to a selective growth of gold on polystyrene-rich domains.