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Micrometer-long gold nanowires fabricated using block copolymer templates
Caterina Minelli1, Christian Hinderling, Harry Heinzelmann
1CSEM SA, Jaquet Droz 1, CH-2007 Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|July 27, 2005
Summary
Researchers created long gold nanowires using self-assembly. Gold nanoparticles were guided by copolymer templates and aggregated with oxygen plasma to form continuous, electrically conductive nanostructures.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Surface Chemistry
Background:
- Self-assembly offers a route to ordered nanostructures.
- Controlling nanoparticle arrangement is key for functional nanomaterials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate micrometer-long gold nanowires using a self-assembly method.
- To investigate the use of diblock copolymer films as templates for gold nanoparticle organization.
- To achieve continuous gold nanostructures with electrical conductivity.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of gold nanowires via self-assembly.
- Utilizing diblock copolymer films as templates for selective gold nanoparticle adsorption.
- Employing oxygen plasma treatment to induce nanoparticle aggregation.
- Characterization of nanostructure electrical continuity using scanning electron microscopy.
Main Results:
- Well-defined nanostructures were formed by selective adsorption of 10 nm gold nanoparticles onto diblock copolymer templates.
- Oxygen plasma treatment successfully induced nanoparticle aggregation, leading to continuous gold nanostructures.
- Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the electrical continuity of the fabricated gold nanostructures.
Conclusions:
- Diblock copolymer templating is effective for organizing gold nanoparticles.
- Oxygen plasma treatment is a viable method for creating continuous gold nanostructures from nanoparticles.
- The self-assembly approach yields electrically continuous gold nanowires suitable for electronic applications.