Fabrication and Characterization of Self-Assembled Thin Films with Cerium Dioxide Nanoparticles and Polymer

We present results on the fabrication, optical properties, and morphology of ionic self-assembled monolayers thin films that incorporate 25- nm cerium dioxide nanoparticles and poly(styrene sulfonic acid sodium salt). The films were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, SEM, EDS, and AFM techniques. Our measurements indicate a uniform buildup of the layers and homogeneous coverage of the substrate. Transmittance at 360 nm decreases by 3% for each layer of CeO
2
, while there is negligible change in transmittance when the polymer layer is added.