Synthesis of gold micro- and nano-wires by infiltration and thermolysis

An approach for synthesizing micro- and nano-sized gold wires by infiltration and thermolysis is investigated. A porous ZrO 2 ceramic preform with aligned pores obtained by unidirectional freezing and freeze-drying is employed as an infiltration template. The sintered porous ZrO 2 preform is then infiltrated by a brushing gold solution. The thermolysis is conducted at 600 °C in air. Micro- and nano-sized gold wires are developed within the walls of the pores after thermolysis. The diameter of the gold wires ranges from several hundred nanometers to several microns.