Free-Standing Vertical Gold Nanowires from Template Synthesis

Gold nanowires are electrochemically grown in a track-etched polycarbonate membrane inside a Teflon cell containing gold plating solution. Using this method we have grown gold nanowires with diameters in the range of 20 - 200 nm and lengths on the order of 1 - 10 um. By controlling the membrane-dissolving process, we can deposit randomly oriented nanowires with the length in the plane of a substrate, or we can leave the nanowires vertically free-standing with one end still attached to a conducting base. We are currently exploring the vertical configuration in order to study the physics of individual nanowires or groups of nanowires. Quantities of interest include the cantilever mechanical resonance frequencies and the mechanical quality factor.