Conductive carbon paint: An efficient way to electrodeposit metallic nanowires by using porous membranes

The present work demonstrates that conductive carbon paint, used for sample preparation in electron microscopy, can be a more straightforward and as-effective substitute for the metallic layer deposition usually used for the electrodeposition of metallic nanowires within porous membranes. AFM images demonstrated the good surface quality of the carbon layer. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the high crystallinity of carbon and high density of π-electrons. The electrical conductivity of the carbon layer was estimated using the linear sweep voltammetry technique. This new cathode was employed to grow continuous (Ni) and composition-modulated (Ni/Cu) nanowires within alumina templates, starting from aqueous solutions of Ni²⁺ and Cu²⁺ mixed salts. The obtention of metallic copper and nickel, and their separation can be readily observed by scanning electron microscopy and elemental mapping by EDS.