Chemistry Project 2008
ECoS Faculty: Jackie Bortiatynski and Mary Shoemaker
ECoS Undergraduate Mentor: Brian Perry
Using Electrochemistry to make Nickel Nanowires
The prefix nano- refers to extremely small objects with nanometer dimensions. A billion
nanometers would fit into 1 meter. As electronic devices get smaller and smaller, the wires
inside them must also be made smaller. Nanoscience refers to the study of and science of
making materials and objects that are measured in nanometers. Electroplating was developed as
a process of depositing one metal over another metal. In some of the earliest examples of
electroplating, a more precious metal such as silver or gold would be plated onto an object made
from a cheaper metal to make the object look more valuable and to prevent rusting of the cheaper
metal.
The focus of this project is to combine electroplating and nanoscience by using
electroplating to create nanosize wires. Small wires can be made from depositing nickel into
narrow pores in a ceramic disk. These wires can then be used as switches in nanosized electrical
devices, as magnetic filler in composites, or as molecular motors. You will design and complete
a project to make nickel nanowires by plating the nickel out of a chemical solution. You will see
how the amount of time in the plating solution determines the length of the wires. You will
analyze the wires using the Scanning Electron Microscope.