Synthesis of gold nanotubes with variable wall thicknesses

We report the synthesis of gold nanotubes with variable wall thicknesses that is accomplished by the deposition of sacrificial hydrophobic polymer cores followed by gold shells within an anodic aluminum oxide template. We demonstrate that by varying polymer core hydrophobicity, the resulting gold shell thickness can be varied. There are two requirements for gold shell formation: (1) the polymer core must be able to be electrodeposited into a tubular (as opposed to wire-like) structure, and (2) the polymer must be hydrophobic, such that it collapses upon exposure to an aqueous solution. An array of gold nanotubes has variable plasmonic properties and can function as a surface enhanced Raman …