Change of surface properties of gold nano-layers deposited on polyethersulfone film due to annealing

In this paper morphological, electrical and physical properties of polyethersulfone films with deposited gold nanolayers were studied. These samples were examined as-sputtered and annealed to temperature below and above glass transition temperature of polymer. Morphological changes induced by annealing were observed by means of atomic force microscopy. These changes were caused by coalescence of gold layer that was confirmed by change of sheet resistance and shift in UV-vis spectra. Most prominent shifts were observed for samples with 5 nm sputtered gold layer, which exhibited localized surface plasmon resonance after annealing due to semiperiodical structure of gold clusters separated by polymer gaps.