Dear Mirette

During my MS, I tried electrochemical synthesis of PEDOT nanotubes within AAO pores. For this aim the gold sputtering with thickness over 300 nm is the best choice due gold state in reduction potential table. Then you need to make a cell with a window that is where you place working electrode from outside. Thus, the gold coated back end have no contact to solution except through AAO pores.

If I'm correct, this video paper should come out this Friday (May 2nd) in which we explain and show how to prepare your templates for nanowire electrodeposition:

http://www.jove.com/video/51547/preparation-use-photocatalytically-active-segmented-agzno-coaxial

Good luck!

Thanks Wouter, that's great will be waiting for it. Till that, I was wondering how can I attach the AAO membrane coated layer (WE) to a glass slide, for example, as it's too brittle and not so easy to handle.

Thanks Movaffaq. Could you please give me more details about that cell you made with a window?

The way I attached the AAO to the glass slide was to coat Au on both the AAO and part of the glass slide, and then I gently placed the AAO on top of the glass slide (with the Au coatings partly touching each other) which I attached by gently placing teflon tape on top of the sides of the AAO, whereby it was taped to the glass slide... I hope this is clearly enough explained, otherwise one of the images that will be released on Friday should help you ;)

You need glass/Teflon container of desired size in any form. But it must have flat wall at least for sample window as well as counter and ref. On the flat wall simply pierce a window of desired shape. Now, find a silicon o-ring with same size. Then tear outside part of o-ring and attach it to the window. Next step is sticking AAO to a hard substrate by means of two side graphite tape. The major advantage of graphite tape in addition to sticking to the both AAO and glass, is conductivity. Finally, stick the substrate on the window tightly and be sure the graphite tape and silicon o-ring prevent AAO fracture.

The below pic must be usefull:

http://www.atlas-sollich.pl/eng/images/NSD50xxxx%20cell.jpg

Thanks again! I have watched the video and it helped a lot as I'm also planning to grow segmented nanowires. But I was wondering, in the video the PCTE membranes were attached to the glass slide via double sided tape and teflon tape was only used at the edges for better attachement. In case of the AAO membranes, will the teflon tape be sufficient alone? And will I apply it to the side edges and on the top of the contact area (coating touching each other) as well?

Yes, for the AAO membranes the Teflon tape alone is enough. And when you skip the double sided tape in this case, you get better contact between the glass and the AAO ;) And yes indeed, I also applied my Teflon tape on the contact area, which also helps for better electrical contact between both Au coatings. Good luck!

I have AAO template bu that one is too much fragile any one suggest me how to handle that one because its very easy to break.

We use a diffusion bonding process to bond the sputtered template to a substrate for mechanically rigidity.

See here

http://www.nature.com/nnano/journal/v9/n5/abs/nnano.2014.44.html