Fabrication of continuous conducting gold wires by electrospinning

An innovative approach is developed to electrospin Au polymer wires, dissolving HAuCl₄ salt in ethanol followed by addition of poly(acrylic acid) with several modifications in the conventional electrospinning system. The as-prepared Au polymer wires are assembled on the rotating drum in between the spinneret (+ electrode) and the conducting substrate (- electrode). The as-prepared Au polymer wires via sintering transformed to the Au wires comprised of compact Au nanocrystals keeping their one-dimensional identity. By collecting a single Au polymer wire on a gold interdigitated electrode during electrospinning followed by its successive sintering, the conductivity of the single gold wire is measured. Reaction parameters such as the amount of the precursor/polymer, change in the solvent, and change in the wire collecting substrate are optimized. Interestingly, gold dendrites are formed when aluminum foil is used as an Au polymer wire collecting support, which retains its shape even after sintering.