Self-assembled gradient nanoparticle-polymer multilayers investigated by an advanced characterization method: Microbeam grazing incidence x-ray scattering

A gradient of nanometer-sized, self-assembly gold clusters on top of a thin polymer film was investigated. A characteristic change in cluster height was detected using an advanced characterization method for gradient surfaces and thin films. An approach combining a thin-film characterization method with a micrometer-sized x-ray beam enhanced the spatial resolution used by two orders of magnitude. It was shown that this approach allows for a nondestructive and contact-free reconstruction of the three-dimensional structure and morphology of the nanocluster gradient layer.