We report two new hydrogen-bonding-based routes for layer-by-layer fabricat
ion of polymer/Au nanoparticle multilayer thin films. Two types of Au nanop
articles surface-modified with carboxyl groups or pyridine groups were prep
ared in nonaqueous solvents. In the first assembly route, we consecutively
adsorbed poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PVP) and Au nanoparticles with carboxyl gro
up tailored surfaces. In the second route, we alternatively deposited poly(
acrylic acid) (PAA) and Au nanoparticles with pyridine group tailored surfa
ces. The multilayer buildup was monitored by UV-vis spectroscopy, which sho
wed a linear increase of the film absorbance with the number of adsorbed Au
layers. FTIR spectroscopy was used to verify hydrogen bonding between the
pyridine and carboxyl groups, which is believed to be the driving force for
the formation of polymer/Au multilayer thin films.