Controlled Growth of Aligned Polymer Nanowires

We have developed a one-step method to fabricate large-scale polymer nanowire (PNW) arrays of any organic materials, with a good control over the density and length. The PNWs are formed by ion etching a polymer film that is covered with a thin layer of metal nanoparticles, which serves as the “mask” for creating the surface roughness required for creating the PNWs. Our study demonstrates an effective approach for creating functional organic NW arrays for applications in sensors, electronics, biomaterials, and energy materials.