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Synthesis of Substrate-Bound Au Nanowires Via an Active Surface Growth Mechanism
Published on: July 18, 2018
Shape-controlled Au particles for InAs nanowire growth
Pin Ann Lin1, Dong Liang, Samantha Reeves
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA.
Nano Letters
|December 7, 2011
Summary
Shaped gold (Au) seed particles enhance indium arsenide (InAs) nanowire (NW) growth kinetics. This is due to a thicker indium (In) shell on faceted Au particles, suggesting VLS growth is more complex than previously thought.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Semiconductor Physics
Background:
- Indium arsenide (InAs) nanowires (NWs) are crucial for advanced electronic and optoelectronic devices.
- The vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism is the primary method for NW synthesis.
- Controlling NW growth kinetics is essential for device performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of shape-controlled gold (Au) seed particles on InAs NW growth.
- To understand how particle morphology influences the VLS growth mechanism.
- To explore methods for tailoring NW growth rates.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of InAs NWs using shape-controlled Au seed particles.
- Comparative analysis with conventional spherical Au seed particles.
- Characterization using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS).
Main Results:
- Shaped Au particles significantly enhanced InAs NW initial growth kinetics compared to spherical particles.
- Analysis revealed preserved surface faceting of Au particles during VLS growth.
- A thicker indium (In) shell formed on shaped Au particles, indicating increased In adsorption.
Conclusions:
- The initial morphology of seed particles plays a critical role in NW growth.
- The VLS growth model needs refinement to account for particle shape effects.
- Shape-controlled seed particles offer a new pathway for tailoring NW growth and properties.
