FABRICATION AND EVALUATION OF NANOELECTRODE ENSEMBLES

An electroless deposition procedure for filling the pores in nanoporou s filtration membranes with metal (gold) nanowires is described. This method allows us to routinely prepare ensembles of gold nanodisk elect rodes in which the nanodisks have diameters as small as 10 mm, Results of electrochemical experiments at ensembles of 30- and 10-nm-diameter gold disk electrodes are described, The electrochemical response char acteristics of these nanoelectrode ensembles are in agreement with pre dictions of the relevant electrochemical theories. Cyclic voltammetric detection limits for electroactive species at ensembles containing 10 -nm-diameter gold disks can be as much 3 orders of magnitude lower tha n those at large-diameter gold disk electrodes.