Growing gold fractal nano-structures and studying changes in their morphology as a function of film growth rate

We investigate the formation of fractal like nano-structures on free standing gold films grown via surfactant mediated thin film growth process. We determine these structures to be confined within the first few monolayers of the thin film. Their chemical composition is identical to that of the Au film, although their density is different from the surrounding film. We observe changes in the morphology of these fractal structures by controlling the film growth rate, which spans across three orders of magnitude. From our study, we quantify the morphological changes in the fractal structure via a roundness parameter and we suggest an empirical relation between the roundness parameter and the growth rate. The study shows an inverse relationship between the roundness parameter and the growth rate and also that the fractal to compact morphological transition is continuous. (paper)