Metal nanowire arrays by electrodeposition.
We describe two related methods for preparing arrays of nanowires composed of molybdenum, copper, nickel, gold, and palladium. Nanowires were obtained by selectively electrodepositing either a metal oxide or a metal at the step edges present on the basal plane of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) electrodes. If a metal oxide was electrodeposited, then nanowires of the parent metal were obtained by reduction at elevated temperature in hydrogen. The resulting nanowires were organized in parallel arrays of 100-1000 wires. These nanowires were long (some > 500 microns), polycrystalline, and approximately hemicylindrical in cross-section. The nanowire arrays prepared by electrodeposition were also "portable": After embedding the nanowires in a polymer or cyanoacrylate film, arrays of nanowires could be lifted off the graphite surface thereby facilitating the incorporation of metal nanowire arrays into devices such as sensors.
Walter
Erich C
EC
Department of Chemistry, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-2025, USA.
Zach
Michael P
MP
Favier
Frédéric
F
Murray
Benjamin J
BJ
Inazu
Koji
K
Hemminger
John C
JC
Penner
Reginald M
RM