The effects of the local environment on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra utilizing gold, silver, and gold/silver striped nanorod array substrates was investigated. The arrays were fabricated using an electrochemical metal deposition into an anodic aluminum oxide template. The analyte chosen for this study was p-nitroso-N,N-dimethylaniline (p-NDMA), which has an electronic structure that is highly sensitive to its surrounding environment. Changes in the peak positions and peak ratios were used to probe the influence of water and the striping pattern on the SERS signal of p-NDMA. We present the results of the fabrication and characterization of the nanorod array substrates, as well as SERS spectra of p-NDMA in both polar and nonpolar environments and SERS spectra on a variety of striped nanorod arrays. The Raman data suggests that the p-NDMA molecule exists in a more polarized state when bound to the gold as compared to the silver rods. We have attempted to use these differences to determine whether the SERS signal predominantly arises from the tips of the rods or from the interior of the array.

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We investigated the potential of commercially available porous templates to be used for the fabrication of functional anisotropic conductors. A galvanostatic deposition technique was used to fabricate arrays consisting of 200 nm diameter nanowires inside the pores of polycarbonate membranes. A tape lift-off procedure allowed the complete removal of any residual metal from both sides of the polymer membrane to form an anisotropic conductive film. The 10 microm thick film has roughly 3 x 10(8) nanowires per cm2, and it showed near zero electrical resistance perpendicular to the surface while appearing completely open to circuits between any points on the surface. The preparation of the film, characterization using SEM, AFM, and resistance measurements are presented. The 1D conductivity of these membranes may have many potential applications for microelectronic interconnects for packaging technologies.