Size-controlled fabrication of nanometer-sized gold electrodes with polystyrene coating

We present a simple, convenient procedure for the fabrication of nanometer-sized gold electrodes with the ability to control the electrode size at the construction stage. The electrodes are prepared by etching a gold wire, coating it with a polystyrene film, and then removing the film from the tip apex by thermal stripping in an aqueous solution in conjunction with in situ monitoring of the exposed electrode area by cyclic voltammetry measurements. It is demonstrated that the method produces point-like electrodes with precise control of the apparent electrode radius within a few nanometers.