Peculiarities of Bi0 nanowire arrays growth within the alumina template pores by ac electrolysis

A stable aqueous solution, well-compatible with the template material, was developed with interest to synthesize densely packed arrays of pure phase Bi0 nanowires (nws) in micrometer length using various alumina templates and a simple alternating current (ac) deposition protocol. Structural, morphological and optical features exhibited by Bi0 nw arrays were studied ex-situ for several alumina templates with average ∅pore from 10 to 100 nm. The blue-shift effect in the absorption energy of the Bi0 nw arrays with decrease in ∅Bi is demonstrated. Cyclic voltammograms recorded in-situ in the studied solution for polycrystalline Au, Pt, Bi and nano-Bi0/alumina electrodes are also presented, composed and discussed.