Site-selective core/shell deposition of tin on multi-segment nanowires for magnetic assembly and soldered interconnection.

The field of nanotechnology continues to grow with the ongoing discovery and characterization of novel nanomaterials with unconventional size-dependent properties; however, the ability to apply modern manufacturing strategies for practical device design of these nanoscale structures is significantly limited by their small size. Although interconnection has been previously demonstrated between nanoscale components, such approaches often require the use of expensive oxidation-resistant noble metal materials and time-consuming or untargeted strategies for welded interconnection such as laser ablation or plasmonic resonance across randomly oriented component networks. In this work, a three-segment gold-nickel-gold nanowire structure is synthesized using templated electrodeposition and modified via monolayer-directed aqueous chemical reduction of tin solder selectively on the gold segments.