Electron transport in monodisperse metal nanostructures

Electron transport in monodisperse granular Cu, Ni, and Pd structures with conduction near the percolation threshold is investigated. An activation conduction law is observed in the oxidized Cu structures, whereas the Efros–Shklovskii law is observed in the initial Cu structures and in the Ni and Pd structures. This behavior is discussed within the framework of a model in which variable range hopping conduction is considered with regard to both the disorder potential and spread of the sizes of grain assemblies.