Templated nanostructure sensors and methods of manufacture

A method of manufacturing a templated nanostructure microsensor, the method comprising:

• providing a carbon-based template material with morphological properties usable in sensing a detectable material;
• coating the carbon-based template material with a precipitate coating forming a combined structure such that the morphological properties of the carbon-based template material are imprinted in an interior surface of a precipitate coating having a crystallite size, wherein the precipitate coating comprises a metal oxide precipitate, the metal oxide selected from the group consisting of:
• tin tungsten oxide, titanium dioxide, indium oxide, indium tin oxide, zirconia, zinc oxide, copper oxide and iron oxide;
• heat treating the combined structure in an environment containing oxygen such that the carbon-based template material is sacrificed leaving the precipitate coating having the interior surface imprinted with the morphological properties;
• connecting physically spaced electrodes with nanostructures of the precipitate coating;
• and
• depositing an upper electrode onto the physically spaced electrodes to bury points of contact between the physically spaced electrodes and the nanostructures;
• wherein the morphological properties imprinted on the interior surface of the precipitate coating are used as a sensor via a depletion layer of the precipitate coating, wherein the crystallite size is less than twice a depth of the depletion layer of the precipitate coating.