公开(公告)号：US20180371631A1

公开(公告)日：2018-12-27

申请号：US15776690

申请日：2016-11-18

Applicant: University of Houston System

Inventor： Li Sun ,  Christopher M. Ortega

IPC: C25D1/00 ,  B82B3/00

Abstract: A template assisted electrochemical synthesis (TAES) technique is utilized to produce an exposed segmented nanostructure array (ESNA). The ESNA may provide a conductive substrate, insulating layer, and an array of segmented nanostructures. The insulating layer may separate the conductive substrate from the exposed portions of the segmented nanostructures, but another portion of the segmented nanostructures may be embedded in the insulating layer. This embedded portion of the segmented nanostructure may contact the conductive substrate. The ESNA may be produced by electrochemical deposition process(es) utilizing a multi-layered membrane with a conductive substrate as a template, where the multi-layered membrane has layers with pores corresponding to the dimensions of the desired segments of the segmented nanostructure. When a desired shape is desired on the tip of the nanostructure, deposition may continue for a predetermined time after the pore is filled. After the deposition of material(s) in the pores of the multi-layered membrane, one or more layers of the multi-layered membranes may be dissolved to exposed a portion of the segmented nanostructures, but another portion of the segmented nanostructures remains embedded in the undissolved portion of the multi-layer membrane. When capped or core-shell ESNAs are desired, the deposition may be separated into multiple steps to achieve the desired segmented nanostructure.