Electrodeposited metallic nanowires have been demonstrated as electrode or sensing materials in many applications such as optoelectronic devices, energy devices, and biosensors due to their excellent electrical and optical properties. However, most of previous demonstrations utilized the metallic nanowires in the form of percolating networks. Individual nanowires also have potential as nanoscale electrodes or nanoscale sensing materials for the applications where electrical signals need to be extracted from nanoscale components of the device. In this sense, metallic nanowires are suitable electrode or sensing materials for bioanalytic nanofluidic devices where electrical signals from nanoscale single molecules need to be interrogated in a device with nanoscale components.

This talk will present strategies and technical challenges to be resolved in applying individual metallic nanowires in bioanalytic nanofluidic devices. While high rate synthesis of metallic nanowires can be achieved via electrodeposition in a nanoporous template, the main challenges to produce nanofluidic devices with individual nanowire electrodes include position and aligning the nanowires at designated locations and cover-plate bonding in the presence of electrode structures. Also, the efforts on device fabrication need to be combined with the effort on engineering nanowires with both sufficient mechanical strength and improved electrical conductivity, so that the nanowires are compatible with both the fabrication and operational protocols. This work is a part of the effort from the NIH Center for BioModular Multiscale Systems for Precision Medicine (CBM²) where the center goal is to design, produce and deliver to the medical community mixed-scale tools for analyzing circulating biomarkers for disease management for precision medicine