Open AccessLinear self-assembly and grafting of gold nanorods into arrayed micrometer-long nanowires on a silicon wafer via a combined top-down/bottom-up approach
Author(s) -
Elena Lestini,
Codrin Andrei,
Dominic Zerulla
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0195859
Subject(s) - nanorod , silicon , wafer , materials science , nanotechnology , self assembly , aqueous solution , nanowire , substrate (aquarium) , annealing (glass) , coalescence (physics) , dewetting , chemical engineering , nanoparticle , colloidal gold , chemistry , composite material , thin film , optoelectronics , organic chemistry , oceanography , physics , geology , astrobiology , engineering
Macroscopically long wire-like arrangements of gold nanoparticles were obtained by controlled evaporation and partial coalescence of an aqueous colloidal solution of capped CTAB-Au nanorods onto a functionalised 3-mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) silicon substrate, using a removable, silicon wafer with a hydrophobic surface that serves as a “handrail” for the initial nanorods’ linear self-assembly. The wire-like structures display a quasi-continuous pattern by thermal annealing of the gold nanorods when the solvent ( i . e . water) is evaporated at temperatures rising from 20°C to 140°C. Formation of both single and self-replicating parallel 1D-superstructures consisting of two or even three wires is observed and explained under such conditions.