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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
Seedless Growth of Bismuth Nanowire Array via Vacuum Thermal Evaporation
Published on: December 21, 2015
Electrodeposited bismuth telluride nanowire arrays with uniform growth fronts
Lynn Trahey1, Catherine R Becker, Angelica M Stacy
1Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
Abstract:
Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) nanowires were deposited into porous alumina templates with 35 nm diameter pores by a pulsed-potential electrodeposition method. For growth at temperatures between 1 and 4 degrees C, the nanowires filled 93% of the pores of the template, and the growth fronts were uniform with nanowire lengths of approximately 62-68 microm. There are over ten billion nanowires per square centimeter with aspect ratios approaching 2000:1. Samples were characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and electron microprobe analysis. The crystalline nanowire arrays are highly oriented in the [110] direction, which is optimal for thermoelectric applications.
