Electrical properties of surface functionalized silicon nanoparticles

The present study relates to the applicability of silicon nanoparticles as basic component in printing inks for the fabrication of printable electronic devices. It is systematically investigated, how the surface functionalization of silicon nanoparticles with 1-alkenes affects the electrical properties of thin films made of them. Therefore, films of as-prepared silicon nanoparticles with a size of 42 nm as well as freshly etched ones, both terminated with hydrogen, are compared with films of silicon nanoparticles functionalized with n-octene, n-dodecene, allylmercaptan, and allylamine, respectively. It is found, that the activation energy of the electron transport through the films is in the range of 0.5 eV and scales with the polarity of the functionalization.