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  4. Thin-Wall Single-Crystal Gold Nanoelectrodes toward Advanced Chemical Probing and Imaging
 
research article

Thin-Wall Single-Crystal Gold Nanoelectrodes toward Advanced Chemical Probing and Imaging

Sabzehparvar, Milad  
•
Kiani, Fatemeh  
•
García Martínez, Germán  
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2026
Small

Thin-wall metal ultramicro- and nanoelectrodes (UMEs/NEs), especially gold-based ones, are key probes for high-resolution electrochemical microscopy, biosensing, and nanoscale interfacial studies. Yet, their broader use remains limited by fragility, low detection sensitivity, and the lack of scalable fabrication methods. Here, we present a template-assisted, non-self-limited polyol-based growth strategy that realizes single-crystalline, thin-walled Au UMEs/NEs, as well as multifunctional probes, with high yield (>80%). The method provides precise control over electrode dimensions, from sub-100 nm to micron-scale radii while the massively parallel polyol growth step overcomes the key bottleneck in scalable nanoelectrode preparation by reliably producing long, continuous single-crystal metal cores. Structural and electrochemical characterization confirm twinned single-crystal Au cores, seamless Au/glass interfaces, and stable performance. Through direct comparison across radii, we show that smaller electrodes consistently exhibit higher surface reactivities, boosting chemical detection sensitivity. In scanning photoelectrochemical microscopy, these NEs achieve an illumination-dependent spatial resolution of ∼250 nm, <1 pA current sensitivity, a detection limit of ∼11.0 µm, and over 7 h of operational stability. In bulk electrolytes, the single-crystalline electrodes achieve ultralow detection limits down to 79 nm, markedly enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio in nanoscale electrochemical measurements. Finally, we demonstrate growth in double-barrel pipettes for multifunctional probes and extend the approach to Pt NEs. This scalable method overcomes longstanding limitations in NE fabrication, enabling advanced electrochemical imaging and its combination with tip-enhanced spectroscopic methods. The single-crystalline architecture also opens new frontiers in catalysis, interfacial electrochemistry, biosensing, and molecular-scale investigations.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1002/smll.202514938
Scopus ID

2-s2.0-105031522199

Author(s)
Sabzehparvar, Milad  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Kiani, Fatemeh  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

García Martínez, Germán  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Can Karaman, Omer  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Boureau, Victor  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Navratilova, Lucie  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Tagliabue, Giulia  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Date Issued

2026

Published in
Small
Subjects

biosensor

•

crystal growth

•

electrochemical microscopy

•

electrochemical sensor

•

high-throughput fabrication

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metal nanoelectrodes

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near-field microscopy

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single crystal

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
LNET  
CIME-GE  
Available on Infoscience
March 10, 2026
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/261210
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