Growth and characterization of hybrid (CnH2n+1NH3)(2)CuCl4 self-assembled films

Films of self-assembled (CnH2n+1NH3)(2)CuCl4 (1 <= n <= 4) hybrid structures were prepared and characterized with respect to the structure, the optical absorption and the transport properties. The films were deposited in-situ, by the Single Source Thermal Ablation (SSTA) procedure on glassy, crystalline and polymeric substrates. The film structure and the morphology, thickness and roughness were almost independent on the substrate. Xray diffraction analysis showed that the films are well crystallized and c-axis oriented. Optical absorption measurements in the 9000-52000 cm(-1) interval confirmed the good quality of the films. They also proved that the absorption phenomena are mainly related to the inorganic CuCl64- clusters and to their geometrical configuration. Due to the high optical quality of the films novel absorption features were revealed. The electrical transport measurements indicated that the films are insulating at 300 K, with resistivity values ranging between 10(3) and 10(4) Omega cm. (c) 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim