A Review: Methods To Fabricate Vertically Oriented Metal Nanowire Arrays

Abstract

Nanowires can be described as one-dimensional-like structures: elongated solids with two dimensions thinner than about a micrometer. They allow the study of novel physical phenomena and have many technological applications, including capture and storage of energy, thermal transport, and sensing. These applications often use arrays of nanowires on flat surfaces, and sometimes specifically require the nanowires to be vertically oriented rather than randomly oriented, arranged in lithographically ordered arrays rather than randomly distributed, or both. In addition, the nanowires’ height, diameter, cross-sectional shape, and the array pitch often must be controlled. Methods exist to exercise much of this control over insulating and semiconducting nanowires, but less control has been demonstrated for metal nanowire fabrication. Here, we review methods published for the fabrication of metal nanowires, and highlight areas in need of further development. Microwire fabrication is discussed in the context of methods that show promise for adaptation to nanowires.

Submicron Metal 3D Printing by Ultrafast Laser Heating and Induced Ligand Transformation of Nanocrystals

“…Metal micro/nanofabrication is of high interest in printable electronics, ,,, microelectromechanical systems, nanophotonics, , and biomedical devices . In particular, vertical submicron metallic pillar arrays have found interesting applications in the energy, catalysis, and biomedical fields − due to their unique mechanical, optical, and electronic properties. The most notable biorelated applications are probe-based sensing of cell activity, antibacterial surfaces, intracellular delivery, and intracellular electrical stimulation and sensing .…”

“…The most notable biorelated applications are probe-based sensing of cell activity, antibacterial surfaces, intracellular delivery, and intracellular electrical stimulation and sensing . Currently, manufacturing of submicron pillars requires multistep lithography, deposition, plasma etching, and templating, which is expensive and less controllable. A direct 3D metal printing process with submicron features would be highly desirable.…”

Spatioselective functionalization of gold nanopillar arrays

“…11 Arrays of NWs with control over the dimensions, aspect ratio, density and location of the individual NW elements on the substrate can be generated by different bottom-up and topdown nanofabrication techniques. 12,13 Among them, the templating strategy using either anodic aluminium oxide or polycarbonate track-etched templates is particularly attractive as it allows the fabrication of NW arrays or free individual nanowires with diameter, height and density nely and independently tunable over a broad range. 12,14 Moreover, a large variety of single-component but also of multi-component nanowires, including segments of different chemical nature (polymer, metal or semiconductor) along the length of the nanowire can be easily synthesized by this templating technique.…”

“…12,13 Among them, the templating strategy using either anodic aluminium oxide or polycarbonate track-etched templates is particularly attractive as it allows the fabrication of NW arrays or free individual nanowires with diameter, height and density nely and independently tunable over a broad range. 12,14 Moreover, a large variety of single-component but also of multi-component nanowires, including segments of different chemical nature (polymer, metal or semiconductor) along the length of the nanowire can be easily synthesized by this templating technique. [15][16][17] Besides the control of their physical dimension characteristics, surface (bio)-functionalization of the nanowires with one or several appropriate ligands or biomolecules are oen required to tune these nanostructures towards a specic application.…”

Template‐Free, Surfactant‐Mediated Orientation of Self‐Assembled Supercrystals of Metal–Organic Framework Particles

“…The physical and even chemical properties of crystals often differ with crystal orientation, due to the distinct atomic interactions and bond distances along the crystal directions, which can strongly affect the electronic, mechanical, and/or magnetic characteristics. Accordingly, the integration of crystals into devices requires control of their surface orientation . For instance, the importance of controlled growth of oriented crystalline (111)‐silicon and (0001)‐ZnO nanowires, (001)‐YBCO superconductors, and phosphorene semiconductors on surfaces in electronic, photovoltaic, and photonic devices has been described.…”