title: Growth of single gold nanofilaments at the apex of conductive atomic force microscope tips.
abstract: This paper describes a fast and one-step technique to grow single gold filaments at the apex of commercial conductive AFM tips. It is implemented with an atomic force microscope in air with a high relative humidity at room temperature and is based on a bias-assisted electro-reduction of gold ions directly at the tip apex. The technique requires only ad hoc substrates made of a mesoporous silica layer loaded with gold salt deposited on a conductive electrode. It leads to the growth, at the tip apex, of filaments whose length can be monitored and controlled during the growth between tens and hundreds of nanometers and whose radius of curvature can be as low as 3 nm. Made of polycrystalline gold nanostructures, the filaments are chemically and mechanically stable and conductive.
authors: Université de Lyon, F-42023, Saint-Etienne, France. nathalie.destouches@univ-st-etienne.fr and CNRS, UMR5516, Laboratoire Hubert Curien, F-42000, Saint-Etienne, France and Université de Saint-Etienne, Jean Monnet, F-42000, Saint-Etienne, France.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Bakhti
authors: Université de Lyon, F-42023, Saint-Etienne, France. nathalie.destouches@univ-st-etienne.fr and CNRS, UMR5516, Laboratoire Hubert Curien, F-42000, Saint-Etienne, France and Université de Saint-Etienne, Jean Monnet, F-42000, Saint-Etienne, France.
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Destouches
authors: Université de Lyon, F-42023, Saint-Etienne, France. nathalie.destouches@univ-st-etienne.fr and CNRS, UMR5516, Laboratoire Hubert Curien, F-42000, Saint-Etienne, France and Université de Saint-Etienne, Jean Monnet, F-42000, Saint-Etienne, France.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Hubert
authors: Université de Lyon, F-42023, Saint-Etienne, France. nathalie.destouches@univ-st-etienne.fr and CNRS, UMR5516, Laboratoire Hubert Curien, F-42000, Saint-Etienne, France and Université de Saint-Etienne, Jean Monnet, F-42000, Saint-Etienne, France.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Reynaud
authors: Université de Lyon, F-42023, Saint-Etienne, France. nathalie.destouches@univ-st-etienne.fr and CNRS, UMR5516, Laboratoire Hubert Curien, F-42000, Saint-Etienne, France and Université de Saint-Etienne, Jean Monnet, F-42000, Saint-Etienne, France.
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Vocanson
authors: CEMES-CNRS, 29 rue Jeanne Marvig, 31055 Toulouse cedex 4, France.
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Ondarçuhu
authors: MATEIS, UMR 5510 CNRS, Université de Lyon, INSA-Lyon, 7 avenue Jean Capelle, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France.
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Epicier