Preparation of conductive gold nanowires in confined environment of gold-filled polymer nanotubes

Macromol Rapid Commun. 2015 Feb;36(3):304-10. doi: 10.1002/marc.201400485. Epub 2014 Dec 8.

Abstract

Continuous conductive gold nanofibers are prepared via the "tubes by fiber templates" process. First, poly(l-lactide) (PLLA)-stabilized gold nanoparticles (AuNP) with over 60 wt% gold are synthesized and characterized, including gel permeation chromatography coupled with a diode array detector. Subsequent electrospinning of these AuNP with template PLLA results in composite nanofibers featuring a high gold content of 57 wt%. Highly homogeneous gold nanowires are obtained after chemical vapor deposition of 345 nm of poly(p-xylylene) (PPX) onto the composite fibers followed by pyrolysis of the polymers at 1050 °C. The corresponding heat-induced transition from continuous gold-loaded polymer tubes to smooth gold nanofibers is studied by transmission electron microscopy and helium ion microscopy using both secondary electrons and Rutherford backscattered ions.

Keywords: chemical vapor deposition; gold; helium ion microscopy; nanoparticles; nanowires.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Gold / chemistry*
  • Microscopy
  • Nanotubes / chemistry*
  • Nanowires / chemistry*
  • Polymers / chemistry*

Substances

  • Polymers
  • Gold