Electrochemical synthesis of vertically aligned zinc nanowires using track-etched polycarbonate membranes as templates

In the present paper, vertically aligned arrays of zinc nanowires were synthesized by electrochemical deposition into ion track-etched polycarbonate membranes in the ionic liquid electrolyte 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethylsulfonate ([EMIm]TfO)/Zn(TfO)(2). Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry were performed to investigate the electrochemical growth of zinc nanowires inside of the membranes. The transport processes and mechanisms of the nanowire growth in the membranes are also discussed. A supporting zinc or copper layer was deposited on the sputtered side in order to make the back layer thick enough to stabilize the wires. Zinc nanowires with a diameter of 90 nm and a length of up to 18 mu m were obtained after removing the template. Furthermore, short nanowires with lengths less than 5 mu m and a sandwich-like structure with nanowires in the middle were also synthesized. Vertically aligned zinc nanowire structures on such a substrate might be a potential anode candidate for future generation lithium ion batteries.