Electrokinetic assembly of selenium and silver nanowires into macroscopic fibers

Solution-phase synthesized nanowires with high aspect ratios can be a challenge to assemble into desired structures. As synthesized, these nanostructures readily bend and entangle with each other to form larger aggregates. This manuscript reports a general procedure for directing the assembly of semiconducting and metallic nanowires into fibers that can easily span distances >1 cm. Dispersions of these nanostructures in a low dielectric solution are organized by electrokinetic techniques into fibers that can be isolated from solution. Theoretical studies suggest that the assembled fibers adopt an orientation along electric field lines in the solution. The number of assembled fibers is a function of the duration of the assembly process, the magnitude of the electric potential, and the initial concentration of nanowires dispersed in solution. These findings offer a general method for the assembly of nanowires into macroscopic fibers of tunable dimensions. Fibers of selenium nanowires isolated from solution can reversibly bend in response to a source of electrostatic charges positioned in close proximity to the free-standing fiber. These flexible selenium fibers also exhibit a photoconductive response when illuminated with white light.