A new strategy to incorporate high density gold nanowires into the channels of mesoporous silica thin films by electroless deposition

High density gold nanowires with uniform diameter ca. 6.4 nm and an aspect ratio higher than 100 have been fabricated within the pore channels of SBA-15 mesoporous thin films (MTFs) using an electroless deposition route. Highly dispersed and uniform palladium nanoparticles, which were induced into the inner surface of the channels through molecular assembly template carrier, served as a catalysis centers to initiate the growth of gold nanowires. XRD, TEM and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy characterization all agree on the fact that the channels of MTFs have been fully filled with crystalline gold. The nanobridges between the adjacent nanowires were clearly visualized, which further indicated that the synthesized gold nanowires have been shaped into a nanostructure with its morphology complementary to that of the MTFs template.