A highly ordered metal nanohole array (platinum and gold) was fabricated by a two-step replication of the honeycomb structure of anodic porous alumina. Preparation of the negative porous structure of porous alumina followed by the formation of the positive structure with metal resulted in a honeycomb metallic structure. The metal hole array of the film has a uniform, closely packed honeycomb structure approximately 70 nanometers in diameter and from 1 to 3 micrometers thick. Because of its textured surface, the metal hole array of gold showed a notable color change compared with bulk gold.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/268/5216/1466.full.pdf

Ordered Metal Nanohole Arrays Made by a Two-Step Replication of Honeycomb Structures of Anodic Alumina

The potentiostatic electrochemical template synthesis of nanowires (Ni, Co, Cu, Au, and polyporrole) in polycarbonate track-etched membranes with nominal pore diameters dN between 10 and 200 nm is ...

Template synthesis of nanowires in porous polycarbonate membranes: electrochemistry and morphology

Template-based synthesis of nanorod, nanowire, and nanotube arrays.

We have developed a new class of synthetic membranes that consist of a porous polymeric support that contains an ensemble of gold nanotubules that span the complete thickness of the support membrane. The support is a commercially available microporous polycarbonate filter with cylindrical nanoscopic pores. The gold nanotubules are prepared via electroless deposition of Au onto the pore walls; i.e., the pores acts as templates for the nanotubules. We have shown that by controlling the Au deposition time, Au nanotubules that have effective inside diameters of molecular dimensions (<1 nm) can be prepared. Hence, these membranes are a new class of molecular sieves. In addition, because these membranes are composed of an electronically conductive material, excess charge can be applied to the tubules by electrochemical charging in an electrolyte solution. We have shown that this allows for control of ion-transport selectivity in these membranes. Finally, because the tubules are composed of gold, well-known Au-t...

Investigations of the Transport Properties of Gold Nanotubule Membranes

The growth of metal nanowires using membranes as hard templates is reviewed. The method provides access to arrays of single-crystal metal nanowires and to quasi-one-dimensional metal nanostructures with controlled compositional variation along their length. Recent applications of these kinds of nanowires to problems in superconductivity, optical spectroscopy and sensing, and catalytic conversion of chemical to mechanical energy are reviewed.

Template-Grown Metal Nanowires

Some years ago Possin reported the fabrication of wires as small as 400 A in diameter with a method involving electroplating into etched particle tracks in mica. We have refined this technique, and can now use it to routinely produce wires as small as 80 A. These refinements are described, and the possibility of making even smaller wires with this method is discussed.

W. D. Williams

Papers

Fabrication of 80 Å metal wires