Arrays of ordered Ag nanowires with different diameters in different areas embedded in one piece of anodic alumina membrane

Abstract

Nanochannel arrays with the same nanochannel density but different nanochannel diameters in different areas in one piece of anodic alumina membrane had been created. SEM observations on one piece of this type of anodic alumina membrane show that the nanochannel diameters radially decrease from 80 nm to 60 nm and to 40 nm along the radial direction. Therefore, using this type of membrane as a template, ordered Ag nanowire arrays with the same nanowire density but with diameters decreasing radially were obtained by electrodeposition. SEM and TEM images taken of different areas of the Ag nanowire arrays show that we can control the growth of aligned Ag nanowires with different diameters in a single process at the same time. Using this type of template in combination with other fabrication techniques, nanometer-scale fibrils, rods, wires, and tubules of metal, semiconductors, carbon, and other materials with same density but different diameters in different areas can be fabricated. The simultaneous integration of ordered nanowire structures with different diameters embedded in a single anodic alumina membrane could be useful in nanodevice manufacture as well as electronics, optoelectronics and magnetics.