Study on the Electrical Conductivity of Au Nanoparticle/ Chloroform and Toluene Suspensions

Au nanoparticles capped by hexadecanethiol and dodecanethiol were chemically synthesized. The characteristics of electrical conductivity for the capped nanoparticles dissolved in chloroform and toluene solvents were investigated. The electrical conductivity of the samples is conspicuously Au nanoparticle concentration dependent.The results show that a rapid conductivity increases when the nanoparticle concentration increases from low value to a moderate value of 5.47 g/L and 11.22 g/L, which is capped by hexadecanethiol and dodecanethiol in chloroform solvent, and 2.77 g/L and 7.88 g/L in toluene solvent. The room-temperature dc conductivity σdc of Au nanoparticle capped by hexadecanethiol is smaller than that capped by dodecanethiol in the whole range of Au nanoparticle concentrations. The conductivity of Au nanoparticle suspensions increases almost linearly in the temperature range in above two solvents.