Metallic nanowires offer possibilities of wide utility in range of applications due to their promising properties. For example, nanoscale electrodes are becoming increasingly popular in Scanning Electrochemical Microscope (SECM) as they afford high spatial resolution topographical and chemical imaging of samples. Alumina templates are commonly utilized for the large-scale growth of metallic nanowires by electrochemical deposition. In this method, a large number of nanowires reside in a solution after the removal of the template and the characterization of an individual nanowire requires further steps for isolation of the targeted nanowire. Directed Electrochemical Nanowire Assembly (DENA) method enables the single-step growth and interconnecting of individual crystalline nanowires with external electrodes. As a key feature, DENA method allows simple tuning of nanowire diameters by changing the frequency of the applied AC potential. A set of DENA growth parameters including voltage amplitude and frequency, electrode design and salt solution concentration were previously established for indium and gold nanowires. DENA method was also used in the growth of other metallic nanowires from their salt solutions such as copper, platinum, silver, and palladium. Polymeric nanowire growth was also demonstrated with the DENA method. More recently, structural and magnetic properties of DENA grown cobalt nanowires were studied. As a potential application, DENA grown cobalt nanowires were used in manufacturing magnetic force microscopy probes. As a biosensor application, DENA grown gold nanowires are currently employed in the fabrication of aptamer-based SECM nanoscale electrodes for high resolution and highly selective detection of biological molecules released from individual cell surfaces.

Directed electrochemical nanowire assembly (DENA): A facile individual nanowire growth method for sensor applications

256th National Meeting (2018)

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