Exotemplate-based Fabrication of 1-dimensional Hybrid Nanostructures for Catalysis and Sensing

Abstract

– For the fabrication of 1-dimensional nanostructures, such as nanowires and nanotubes, and networks thereof, ion-track etched polymer foils can serve as exotemplates. They are formed by ion irradiation of polymer foils of several µm thickness and chemically etching the straight damage tracks into nanochannels, with diameters in the sub-µm range, down to 20 nm. The high-aspect ratio nanochannels were filled up either electrochemically with a metal, forming metallic nanowires, or by coating the nanochannel walls by electroless chemical deposition, thus forming nanotubes, either from metals or oxides. When the nanochannels were formed from crossed ion tracks, nanowire and –tube networks were obtained. The synthesis of 2-metal nanostructures based on Ni/Pd, Bi/Pd, and Ni/NiCo-hydroxide is shown. The nanostructures were used as catalysts for methanol oxidation and for glucose sensing.