Templates anodic alumina membranes

Figure 13.4 TEM images of PPy-CNT composite nanowires. The wires were synthesized using a 200 nm pore size anodic alumina membrane template. Reprint with permission from Langmuir, Vol. 21(1), 2005. Copyright 2005, American Chemical Society [54].

OMCs have been synthesized using various templates, including porous zeolites, and anodic alumina membranes, porous silica materials and sdica nanoparticles [51, 52], as weU as different carbon precursor phenoUc resins, furfuryl alcohol, mesophase pitch, sucrose, etc. In Table 7.2 are summarized the characteristic of OMC reported in the literature. 

RuOj nanotubes have been synthesized by the thermal decomposition of Ru3(CO)j2 inside anodic alumina membranes [248]. Transition metal oxide nanotubes have been prepared in water using iced hpid nanotubes as the template [249]. Self-assembled cholesterol derivatives act as templates as well as catalysts for the sol-gel polymerization of inorganic precursors to give rise to double-walled tubular structures of transition metal oxides [250]. Hydrothermal synthesis of single-crystalline y-Fefi ... 

The formation of open and porous structures with extremely large surface area is of high technological significance, because this structure type is very suitable for electrodes in many electrochemical devices, such as fuel cells, batteries and sensors [1,2], and in catalysis applications [3]. The template-directed synthesis method is most commonly used for the preparation of such electrodes. This method is based on a deposition of desired materials in interstitial spaces of disposable hard template. When interstitial spaces of template are filled by deposited material, the template is removed by combustion or etching, and then the deposited material with the replica structure of the template is obtained [4, 5]. The most often used hard templates are porous polycarbonate membranes [6, 7], anodic alumina membrane [8-10], colloidal crystals [11, 12], echinoid skeletal stractures [13], and polystyrene spheres [14, 15]. 

Alumina nanotubes have been prepared by the anodic oxidation of aluminum [41] the resulting tubes have one-dimensional channels with uniform diameters of 5nm and lengths of 50-100 nm. An alumina membrane with a highly ordered nanohole array in 50-100 nm diameter has also been synthesized by long-period anodization thus these local alumina nanotubes have been tried as a template for metal nanowire formation. 

Imai H, Takei Y, Shimizu K, Matsuda M, Hirashima H (1999) Direct preparation of anatase Ti02 nanotubes in porous alumina membranes. J Mater Chem 9 2971-2972 Michailowski A, A1 Mawlawi D, Cheng GS, Moskovits M (2001) Highly regular anatase nanotubule arrays fabricated in porous anodic templates. Chem Phys Lett 349 1-5 Jung JH, Kobayashi H, van Bommel KJC, Shinkai S, Shimizu T (2002) Creation of novel helical ribbon and double-layered nanotube Ti02 structures using an... 

It should be mentioned that alternative possibilities to prepare similar membranes include the use of a porous alumina membrane as matrix, with the titania nanotubes grown in the channels. Nanoporous alumina membranes are commercial products, also synthesized by anodic oxidation. The commercial Whatman Corporation anodic membrane has holes of about 20-nm diameter at the top of the membrane and about 200-nm diameter at the bottom of membrane. Within these pores Ti02 nanotubes fabricated by template synthesis and water vapour hydrolysis could be grown, but non-uniform membrane characteristics are obtained due to the non-uniform pores of the commercial alumina... 

Nanoporous materials are of great interest for example for their photoluminescent properties (silicon) or possible use as templates (alumina). The types of synthesis of these materials are numerous and the etching/ anodization influences the results [27 - 29]. A detailed studied of Cherenkov radiation in nanoporous alumina membranes has been done which explains the existence of low energy peaks around 7-8 eV [30] (Figure 9 left). Whereas for a cylindrical hole in alumina the simulation does not show a peak, a cylindrical shell of alumina does. The Cherenkov radiation is confined in the shell, as in a wave guide, and a peak appears. If an effective... 

---