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MM: Fachverband Metall- und Materialphysik
MM 37: Nanomaterials II
MM 37.2: Talk
Thursday, March 17, 2011, 14:15–14:30, IFW B
Metallic nanowire growth from solution using dielectrophoresis — •Alexander Nerowski1, Markus Poetschke2, Manfred Bobeth2, Walter Weber3, and Gianaurelio Cuniberti1 — 1Institute for Materials Science and Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials, Dresden University of Technology, 01069 Dresden, Germany — 2Institute for Materials Science, Dresden University of Technology, 01069 Dresden, Germany — 3NamLab gGmbH, 01187 Dresden, Germany
A lot of effort has been made to manufacture metallic nanowires by top-down procedures as classical lithography. Metallic nanowire growth from solution represents a promising inexpensive bottom-up method working at room temperature. By applying an AC voltage, nanowires grow on a substrate between two electrodes in a solution containing metal complexes. Aiming at a controlled growth of straight and as thin as possible wires, the growth process is investigated both experimentally and theoretically. The nanowire itself, since it is conductive, is modeled as a half-sphere electrode. Our model includes the dielectrophoretic force on uncharged metal complexes as well as their diffusion in the solution. In particular, the growth velocity of the wire is found to depend only weakly on the applied voltage since the overall growth process is diffusion-controlled. Difficulties in comparing theoretical predictions and experimental observations due to poorly known material parameters are discussed. For reasonable parameter choices, the calculated nanowire growth velocity is in modest agreement with measurements.