Control of the morphology of gold deposits grown at the gas/liquid interface

The control of the morphology of electroless gold deposits grown at the surface of aqueous hydrogen tetrachloroaurate solutions coated by a positively charged dimethyldioctadecylammonium (DODA) monolayer is reported. By controlling the concentration of the gold salt in the subphase or by adding species into it, we show that it is possible to favour the two-dimensional growth of the deposits and to produce either compact or ramified patterns.