Preparation of Au nanowire films by electrodeposition using mesoporous silica films as a template: Vital effect of vertically oriented mesopores on a substrate

Films consisting of polycrystalline Au nanowires were prepared by electrodeposition using mesoporous silica films with vertically oriented mesochannels as a template. The importance of the mesostructure near the surface of the substrate is emphasized by the comparison of films possessing vertically aligned mesochannels to the substrate with those having parallel aligned mesochannels from the viewpoints of Au deposition in the films and the presence or absence of the resulting cracking. When all mesopores lie parallel to the substrate, the mesoporous film was cleaved by the deposition of Au, which is in clear contrast to the case of Pt deposition. Fabricated Au nanowires are not interconnected with each other unlike Pt, irrespective of the presence of interconnected micropores.