A nucleation and growth study of gold nanowires and nanotubes in polymeric membranes

Through the use of a technique known as template synthesis, it has become possible to synthesize a variety of different materials in the form of nanowires or nanotubes. Dependent upon which type of template is used, either randomly or regularly dispersed nanowires or nanotubes with a wide variety of nanopore diameters and lengths can be created. In this experiment, gold nanowires and nanotubes have been synthesized with diameters of 30, 100, and 800 nm in polycarbonate membranes. The kinetics and characteristics of growth can be greatly altered, dependent upon what operational parameters are employed during deposition. This study looks at the different growth factors that need to be considered when employing the template synthesis approach. These factors include the final expected geometry, the distribution of nucleation sites, the grain size distribution, and the deposition rate.