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Large Area Substrate-Based Nanofabrication of Controllable and Customizable Gold Nanoparticles Via Capped Dewetting
Published on: February 26, 2019
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Bioinspired multifunctional Au nanostructures with switchable adhesion
Xiu Mo1, Yunwen Wu1, Junhong Zhang1
1State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Material Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University , No. 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|September 23, 2015
Summary
Inspired by cicada wings, researchers created self-cleaning, superhydrophobic gold-coated nickel nanocone arrays. These surfaces exhibit switchable adhesion for precise microdroplet transport and potential use as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Surface Chemistry
Background:
- Cicada wings exhibit natural self-cleaning properties due to their unique surface structure.
- Superhydrophobic surfaces offer potential for advanced applications like microfluidics and sensing.
- Controlling adhesion properties of nanostructured surfaces is crucial for targeted functionalities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate well-aligned gold-coated nickel nanocone arrays (Au@Ni NAs) inspired by cicada wings.
- To achieve self-cleaning and switchable adhesion properties on nanostructured surfaces.
- To explore the potential of these surfaces as microdroplet transporters and SERS substrates.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of Au@Ni NAs using electrodeposition.
- Surface modification with n-hexadecanethiol to induce superhydrophobicity.
- Creation of complementary porous gold structures via geometric replication.
- Characterization of surface properties, adhesion, and SERS activity.
Main Results:
- Achieved long-lived superhydrophobic surfaces with low adhesive force and switchable adhesion on complementary structures.
- Demonstrated precise microdroplet transportation without loss using the complementary surfaces.
- Observed electromagnetic enhancement at nanocone tips, indicating potential as SERS substrates.
Conclusions:
- The bioinspired Au@Ni NAs exhibit self-cleaning, superhydrophobic, and switchable adhesion properties.
- These complementary surfaces enable efficient microdroplet transport and hold promise for SERS applications.
- The study highlights the potential of mimicking natural structures for advanced material functionalities.
