Development of a nanoscale electroless plating procedure for bismuth and its application in template-assisted nanotube fabrication

Abstract

We outline the development of a remarkably stable electroless bismuth plating bath. Its nanofabrication potential is showcased by coating ion-track etched polymer membranes, enabling the synthesis of sub-micron diameter bismuth tubes.

Electroless Plating of Metal Nanomaterials

“…These metals are not utilized frequently, and corresponding reactions often suffer from large impurity fractions [78] and employ unusual reducers ( e. g ., thiourea, [78] Sn(II)) [79] . Selective metal deposition can be achieved through carefully balancing the metastable redox pair, as demonstrated in electroless Bi nanoplating [80] …”

“…[79] Selective metal deposition can be achieved through carefully balancing the metastable redox pair, as demonstrated in electroless Bi nanoplating. [80] The reactivity of metal complexes can be tuned by varying their oxidation state and ligand shell. As a rule of thumb, low oxidation states are beneficial because they lessen the electron requirement for reduction and limit the number of potential intermediates (e. g., partially reduced Pt(II) forming aside elemental Pt in a Pt(IV)-based bath).…”

Electroless Nano-Plating in Ion-track Etched Polymers: Iridium- and Bismuth-coated Membranes for Catalysis and Sensing Applications

“…1b, the apparent rate constant kapp of the reaction can be determined, which amounts to 0.059 min -1 . [7] Figure 1: a) SEM images of Ir-coated ion-track etched polycarbonate membranes; b) characteristic absorbance of methyl orange after treatment with the catalyst for different times in stirred solution; c) absorbance of methyl orange/NaBH4 solution before and after passing the membrane in a flow reactor setup at 5 ml min -1 (adapted from [8]).…”

“…Recently, we found that a plating bath based on the remarkably stable EDTA complex of Bi(III) in combination with borane dimethylamine (DMAB) as reducer is suitable for nanoscale Bi plating. [8] Figure 2a shows electroless Bi deposits in ion-track etched polycarbonate membranes. The amount of deposited Bi can be controlled by adjusting the deposition time.…”

“…Ir and Bi coated membranes are fabricated by procedures developed in our group [7], [8] by electroless plating on commercially available ion-track etched polycarbonate membranes (ipPORE™, it4ip, Belgium) with a nominal pore diameter and membrane thickness of 400 nm and 25 µm, respectively. In the case of Ir, the coated membranes are then used for catalyzing the degradation of methyl orange in the presence of NaBH4, while the Bi coated polymer is used as a proofof-concept device to detect Pb in water.…”