Nanowire Structural Element

Abstract

Producing a nanowire structural element with a nanowire array between two cover layers forming a hollow chamber permeated in a column-like manner with nanowires. The process includes: preparing a template foil; application of a first surface covering electroconductive cover layer on a first side of the template foil; generation of numerous nanopores in the template foil; generation of nanowires in the nanopores wherein an electroconductive material fills the nanopores by electrochemical deposition, wherein the nanowires grow within the nanopores on the first cover layer; generation of a second surface filling cover layer on the second side of the template foil thus forming a sandwich-like arrangement of the two cover layers and the template foil permeated with nanowires; and clearing the structured hollow chamber between by dissolving of the template foil and removal of the dissolved template substance, wherein the two cover layers remain intact.

1 . A process for the production of a nanowire structural element with nanowire array between two cover layers forming a hollow chamber permeated in a column-like manner with nanowires, which includes:
 (a) preparing a template foil,   (b) application of a first surface covering electroconductive cover layer on a first side of the template foil,   (c) generation of numerous nanopores in the template foil,   (d1) generation of nanowires in the nanopores in that the nanopores are filled with an electroconductive material by means of electrochemical deposition, wherein the nanowires grow within the nanopores on the first cover layer,   (d2) generation of a second surface filling cover layer on the second side of the template foil thus forming a sandwich-like arrangement of the two cover layers and the template foil permeated with nanowires,   (e) clearing of the structured hollow chamber between the two cover layers through the dissolving of the template foil and removal of the dissolved template substance between the two cover layers, wherein the two cover layers remain intact.   
     
     
         2 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the second cover layer, in accordance with partial step (d2), is at least partially generated on the second side of the template foil by means of electrochemical deposition of an electroconductive material. 
     
     
         3 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical deposition procedure following the complete filling of the nanopores in accordance with partial step (d1) is continued until at least on the second side of the template foil caps have developed on the nanowires, and the caps on the second side of the template foil have at least partially merged together. 
     
     
         4 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical deposition procedure, after the complete filling of the nanopores in accordance with partial step (d1), is continued until at least on the second side of the template foil caps have developed on the nanowires and the caps have merged together to form a surface covering layer such that the nanowires and said surface covering layer have formed a unified structure and wherein said surface covering layer forms at least a partial layer of the second cover layer. 
     
     
         5 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the steps (d1) and (d2) are carried out as partial steps of the same electrochemical deposition procedure, in that the electrochemical deposition procedure, after the complete filling of the nanopores in accordance with partial step (d1), is continued until the second cover layer is completed, wherein caps are formed on the nanowires on the second side of the template foil and the caps merge together to form a surface covering layer and said surface covering layer continues to develop until the stable second cover layer is formed, such that the nanowires and the second cover layer form a unitary integrally formed structural unit, or the electrochemical deposition procedure in accordance with partial step (d1) is continued until caps have developed on the nanowires on the second side of the template foil and the caps are at least partially merged together, and in another subsequent deposition procedure a surface covering layer has been depositioned onto the at least partially merged caps, wherein the stable second cover layer consists of the at least partially merged caps and the surface covering layer. 
     
     
         6 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical deposition of the nanowires is carried out in accordance with partial step (d1) either by means of pulsed deposition, wherein deposition pulses and deposition free diffusion time periods are alternated, or by means of reversed pulse deposition, wherein deposition pulses and anodic counter pulses alternate. 
     
     
         7 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the application of the first cover layer in accordance with step (b) contains the following steps:
 (b1) deposition of a first partial layer by means of PVD and   (b2) reinforcement of the first partial layer by means of electrochemical deposition of a second partial layer onto the first partial layer.   
     
     
         8 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the generation of the nanopores in accordance with step (c) contains the following steps:
 (c1) irradiation of the template foil with high-energy radiation to generate numerous latent paths throughout the template foil,   (c2) generation of the nanopores in the template foil wherein the radiation induced latent paths are increased by means of an etching procedure.   
     
     
         9 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein step (c) contains the following steps:
 (c1) preparation of an aluminum foil as a template foil,   (c2) generation of nanopores in the aluminum foil by means of anodizing.   
     
     
         10 . A process for production of a nanowire structural element with a nanowire array between the two cover layers to form a column-like hollow chamber-like structure permeated with nanowires by means of the following steps:
 preparation of a template foil,   irradiation of the template foil with high-energy radiation to generate numerous latent paths throughout the template foil, wherein the template foil is irradiated through a mask with one or more openings, such that the latent paths are only generated in the regions of the openings,   application of a first cathode layer to the first side of the template foil,   generation of nanopores in the template foil wherein the radiation induced latent paths are increased by means of an etching procedure,   generation of nanowires in the nanopores, wherein the nanopores are filled with an electroconductive material by means of electrochemical deposition, wherein the deposition is carried out until at least caps have formed on the first side opposite the second side of the template foil,   removal of the first cathode layer from the first side of the template foil,   application of a second cathode layer on the second side of the template foil,   deposition of caps on the nanowires on the first side of the template foil,   removal of the second cathode layer from the second side of the template foil,   clearing the structured hollow chamber between the two cover layers formed by the respective caps by dissolving the template foil and removing the dissolved template material between the two cover layers, wherein the two cover layers remain intact.   
     
     
         11 . A process according to  claim 10 , wherein the mask is a perforated mask with many openings and by means of irradiation through the perforated mask numerous island-like distributed groups of paths are generated such that numerous separate nanowire islands are formed. 
     
     
         12 . A process according to  claim 11 , wherein the second cathode layer is applied to the caps on the second side of the template foil and the nanowire islands are temporarily connected to each other.