Micro and nanoelectrode structures by template directed electrodeposition

The project provided fundamentally new insights into metal electrodeposition onto electrodes modified by self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). In particular, understanding the mechanism of metal intercalation at the SAM-substrate interface enabled a new way of nanopatterning where feature sizes can be controlled down to the 10-20 nm range. The know how in SAM controlled electrodeposition also allowed the demonstration of a patterning scheme involving supramolecular networks as sacrificial masks. Patterns of binary SAMs with unprecedented precision and resolution (< 5 nm) became, thus, accessible. The understanding of the mechanical and electrodeposition properties of SAMs was improved to the extent that a metal deposition-lift off scheme which provides routine access to small metal patterns could be extended from the micrometre to the sub 100 nm range.