Fabrication of highly ordered metallic nanowire arrays by electrodeposition

Highly ordered hexagonal arrays of parallel metallic nanowires (Ni, Bi) wit h diameters of about 50 nm and lengths up to 50 mum were synthesized by ele ctrodeposition. Hexagonal-close-packed nanochannel anodized aluminum oxide film was used as the deposition template. The deposition was performed in a n organic bath of dimethylsulfoxide with metal chloride as the electrolyte. A high degree of ordering and uniformity in these arrays can be obtained w ith this technique by fine-tuning the electrodeposition parameters. Moreove r, an unprecedentedly high level of uniformity and control of the wire leng th was achieved. The arrays are unique platforms for explorations of collec tive behavior in coupled mesoscopic systems, and are useful for application s in high-density data storage, field emission displays, and sensors. (C) 2 001 American Institute of Physics.