The film design significantly impacts the films' sensing potential. Several parameters can be tailored, such as the GNP size or the ligand length and type. An increase in GNP size is known to decrease the thermal activation energy. The particle size may also impact the sensor response. For example, the change in resistance upon strain can be increased by using larger particles. Changing the length of the ligand or cross-linker alters the interparticle distance and thereby the baseline conductivity of a sensing element and its resistive response to strain. Additionally, recent studies demonstrated the tunability of the films' elasticity by variation of the cross-linker molecule, and their response to external strain. It also alters their sensitivity to vapor, which can be significantly increased by increasing the chain length. Using different types of ligands results in different tunneling decay constants, where aromatic groups decrease the tunneling decay constant due to the charge delocalisation. In addition, the temperature 32 as well as the structural order 33 of the films were shown to influence the electrical properties of thiol-ligated GNP assemblies.