Coaxial lithography

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016013340-A1
Application number	US-201514691711-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 21, 2015
Priority date	Apr 21, 2014
Publication date	Jan 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods for radial control of nanorods using a coaxial lithographic technique are disclosed, as are nanorods prepared by these methods and applications of these nanorods in energy storage, photocatalysis, and solar energy conversion.

First claim

1 . A nanorod comprising a first segment and a second segment, the first segment comprising a metal and the second segment comprising (a) a core having a diameter smaller than the first segment diameter, and optionally (b) a shell around at least a portion of the core, the first segment in contact with the core.

2 . The nanorod of claim 1 , wherein the shell is absent.

3 . The nanorod of claim 1 , wherein the shell length is the same as the core length.

4 . (canceled)

5 . The nanorod of claim 1 , wherein the shell abuts the first segment.

6 . The nanorod of claim 1 , wherein the shell is separated from the first segment by a gap.

7 . The nanorod of claim 1 , wherein the shell forms a ring around the core and has a ring length, said ring length shorter than the core length.

8 . The nanorod of claim 7 , having at least two rings around the core, each ring on the core separate by a ring gap.

9 . (canceled)

10 . The nanorod of claim 8 , wherein each ring comprises the same material.

11 . The nanorod of claim 8 , wherein each ring comprises a metal.

12 . (canceled)

13 . The nanorod of claim 8 , wherein one ring comprises a first ring material and another ring comprises a second ring material.

14 . The nanorod of claim 13 , wherein the first ring material comprises gold and the second ring material comprises silver, platinum, or nickel.

15 . (canceled)

16 . The nanorod of claim 7 , wherein the ring length is about 10 nm to about 100 nm.

17 .- 18 . (canceled)

19 . The nanorod of claim 1 , wherein the core has a diameter of about 35 to about 150 nm.

20 . The nanorod of claim 1 , wherein the shell and core together have a diameter of about 200 nm to about 700 nm.

21 . (canceled)

22 . The nanorod of claim 1 , wherein the core comprises a semiconductor.

23 .- 26 . (canceled)

27 . The nanorod of claim 1 , wherein the shell comprises nickel, gold, silver, platinum, palladium, or a mixture thereof.

28 . The nanorod of claim 1 , further comprising a third segment, the second segment separating the first segment and the third segment.

29 .- 31 . (canceled)

32 . The nanorod of claim 1 , further comprising a second shell over the core and shell of the second segment.

33 .- 34 . (canceled)

35 . A method of making the nanorod of claim 1 comprising:
a) depositing the first segment onto a template using electrochemical deposition (ECD), and controlling the length of the first segment by monitoring the amount of charge passed during the electrochemical deposition;
b) depositing the core of the second segment using ECD, and controlling the length of the core by monitoring the amount of charge passed during the ECD;
c) optionally depositing the shell using ECD;
d) optionally repeating one or more of steps (b) and (c);
e) optionally widening the template prior to the depositing of step (c); and
e) dissolving the template to form the nanorod.

36 . Use of the nanorod of claim 1 as a semiconductor, as an energy storage device, in solar energy conversion, in photovoltaics, or in photocatalysis.

Assignees

• Univ Northwestern

Inventors

• Mirkin Chad A
• Ozel Tuncay
• Bourrent Gilles R

Classifications

• H10K30/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] devices · CPC title

• H01L31/1892

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/035227 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• C25D1/04 Primary

  Wires; Strips; Foils · CPC title

• C25D1/02

  Tubes; Rings; Hollow bodies · CPC title