Incorporation of gold nanocrystals into poly(3-alkylthiophene) nanowires and fabrication of gold nanowires

Gold nanocrystals (2.42 nm in diameter) stabilized by a monolayer of 5-(3-thienyl)-1-pentanethiol (TPT) have been successfully incorporated into poly(3-alkylthiophene) nanowires through the electrochemical co-polymerization of the thiophene moieties of TPT ligands and 3-butylthiophene by using a microporous alumina membrane with a pore size of about 200 nm as the template. The gold content in the composite nanowires can be modulated by changing the nanocrystal content in the electrolyte. Robust gold nanowire arrays were generated by firing the composite nanowires with high gold contents.