Preparation and characteristics of large-area and high-filling Ag nanowire arrays in OPAA template

Highly ordered porous anodic aluminum oxide (OPAA) on aluminum substrate with an ultrathin barrier layer was prepared by a two-step aluminum anodic oxidation plus a step-by-step voltage decrement process. Ag nanowire arrays have been successfully electrodeposited into the OPAA template through constant current technique. The morphology, composition and structure of the nanowire arrays were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that Ag nanowires possess smooth surface and high aspect ratio up to 330 with a diameter of 70–80 nm. Nearly 100% of the pores were filled by Ag nanowires, which have face center cubic structure and (111) preferential orientation. The branch of originally straight pores at the formation front was demonstrated and the branched pores favor the formation of several nucleation sites in each pore at the beginning of the electrodeposition.