The two-dimensional arrays of various metal nanowires with diameters ranging from 15 to 70 nm have been fabricated by electrodepositing metals of Cu, Ag, Au, Ni, and Co into the nanoholes of the anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) films, followed by partial removal of the film. The strong surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effects were observed from the metal nanowire arrays including Ni, Co metals that were normally considered to be non-SERS active substrates. It has been shown that metal nanowire arrays can serve as very good SERS active substrates, especially for transition metals. The SERS intensity of the probe molecule adsorbed at the nanowires depends critically on the length of the nanowires explored at the surface. And the band frequency is very sensitive to the diameter, which reflects the change in the electronic property of metal nanowires. Applying this probe molecule strategy, SERS could develop into a diagnostic tool of metal nanowires (nanorods).
The development of the instrumentation of a scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) is presented. The core of the SECM sensing system is constructed based on piezo‐bimorph scanners, a mechanical micropositioner of multi‐dimensional adjustment and ultramicroelectrodes. The control of the electrochemical cell and the SECM system is realized by a battery powered bipoteniostat and analog control circuits respectively with the control of a microcomputer work station. The demonstrations of SECM experiments are given on both a standard IDA sample and a silver electrode. Discussions on the resolution and quality of SECM image are made.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.