Biomimetic method for metallic nanostructured mesoscopic models fabrication

Various metallic structures of complex shape, resembling natural objects such as plants, mushrooms, and seashells, were produced when growing nanowires by means of pulsed current electroplating in porous membranes. These structures occur as the result of nanowires self-assembling (biomimetics) if the electroplating is continued after the nanowires reach the membrane surface. By varying the membrane geometry and the pulsed current parameters, and alternating electroplating from two baths with different electrolytes, various models were fabricated, including a hollow container with wall thickness of 10-30 nm. The possibility of shape regulation for models was demonstrated: in certain conditions, mushroom- and shell-like convex-concave models of the same kind were obtained. The hierarchical structure of models at the nano-, micro- and mesoscopic levels is shown through fragmentation and chemical etching.