Fabrication of Au/Ni Multilayered Nanowires by Electrochemical Deposition

Electrochemical deposition of Au/Ni multilayered nanowires using template-assisted growth technique from electrolyte containing nickel chloride and gold solution was studied in details. 60 μm-thick anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) with pore diameter of 200 nm was used as the template. Chronopotentiometry experiments were first carried out to determine the deposition conditions and the growth rate of individual Au and Ni layers. Scanning electron microscopy results revealed that the pore channels of AAO were completely filled with Au/Ni multisegmented nanowires. By selectively removing the Ni segments in the multilayered nanowires, high-yield of pure gold nanorods were obtained. Detailed studies on the nanostructures obtained were carried out using various microscopy and probe-based techniques for structural, morphological and chemical characterizations.