Structural characterisation of gold nanowire arrays

This study is devoted to a thorough crystallographic and microstructural characterisation of gold nanowire arrays. The nanostructures were produced by directional solid-state decomposition of the Fe-Au eutectoid. The system structure and microstructure were investigated using differential thermal analysis (DTA), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and scanning Auger electron microscopy (SAEM). The most relevant sample features, with particular attention to the microstructure evolution, morphology and crystallography of the gold nanoarrays, are critically discussed. Gold nanofibres exhibit a faceted morphology with an average width of 20 nm, length of 100 nm and inter-wire distance of 250 nm. HRTEM analysis revealed that the obtained nanostructures are single crystalline and that the fibre-matrix crystallographic orientation relationship is of the Nishiyama-Wassermann type.