Alignment strategies for the assembly of nanowires with submicron diameters

Two alignment strategies are introduced to assemble and align template-grown gold nanowires with submicron diameters. Multiple nanowires are effectively assembled across large areas on hydrophilic templates by exploiting the low interfacial tension at the water-chloroform interface. To achieve single nanowire alignment, the nanowires may be brushed across an array of lithographically defined trenches.