Templated Gold Nanowire Self-Assembly on Carbon Substrates

Abstract

Artificial templates for the linear alignment of nanoparticles are readily obtained by friction transfer followed by a nano-replication step. The particles align spontaneously probably due to the effect of entropic force fields generated by the surface topography of the corrugated substrate. The Figure shows self-assembled lines of gold nanoparticles on a carbon replica of friction-transferred poly(tetrafluoroethylene) lines.