Self-Supporting Metal Nanotube Networks Obtained by Highly Conformal Electroless Plating.

We present a versatile approach for the fabrication of well-defined networks of interconnected metal nanotubes, which applies electroless plating to ion-track-etched polymer templates that enclose designed pore networks. In order to obtain self-supporting structures, the deposition reactions must be optimized to yield conformal nanoscale metal films on microstructured substrates possessing extensive inner surfaces. Using this route, gold, copper, silver, nickel, and platinum nanotube networks are synthesized.