Abstract

Nanoscale structures made of silver are modified to improve electrical conductivity and enable transfer from the growth substrate. Precisely fabricated nanowires and nanostructures have potential applications to various technologies including integrated circuits, solar cell efficiency, and spectroscopy. Currently, non-contiguous silver nanowires are being synthesized by ferroelectric lithography at the University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA) and, after characterization, are wiped clean from the periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) so that the substrate can be reused. These particular structures have small gaps between them which make them useful for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). However, due to the discontinuity of the silver nanoparticles in these arrays, they cannot conduct electricity. This work aims to create conductive nanowires by varying the solution concentration and duration of deposition and to improve a method of transferring these nanostructures to another medium so they can be preserved. By encasing the wires in epoxy, they may be preserved and analyzed at a later date or be transferred to another platform for other applications. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has proven effective in encasing the silver nanoparticles of the non-conductive wires without damaging the crystal substrates. These conductive wires may also be removed from the fragile substrate into a flexible PDMS composite. These composites are then tested for conductivity. Once conductivity is confirmed, the process may be applied to different patterns of substrate to produce various circuitry designs.

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