Nanotubes from the Misfit Layered Compounds MS–TaS₂, Where M = Pb, Sn, Sb, or Bi: Synthesis and Study of Their Structure

Tubular structures of the MS–TaS₂ with (M = Pb, Sn, Sb, Bi) misfit layered compounds are reported. The lattice mismatch between the alternating MS and TaS₂ layers leads to a variety of chiral tubular structures. Such tubular structures are studied via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). For the PbS–TaS₂ and SnS–TaS₂ tubules, relative in-plane orientations as well as folding vectors of the two subsystems can be determined. However, almost ring-like SAED patterns are obtained for SbS–TaS₂ nanotubes precluding exact determination of the relative in plane orientation. Also, very complex diffraction patterns were obtained for BiS–TaS₂ nanotubes

Micelle Directed Synthesis of Polyoxometalate Nanoparticles and Their Improved Catalytic Activity for the Aerobic Oxidation of Sulfides

Micelle directed polyoxometalate nanoparticles were synthesized by depositing H3+xPVxMo12-xO40 (x = 0, 2) by precipitation on micelles prepared from cesium dodecyl sulfate. The cryo-TEM image showed particles of about ∼10 nm roughly consistent with the particle size computed from an idealized model. HRTEM coupled with EELS imaging to map the distribution of the elements also supported the formation of micelle directed polyoxometalate nanoparticles. In the aerobic oxidation of various sulfides to sulfoxides and sulfones, the clustered polyoxometalate assemblies supported on hydrophilic silica showed significantly higher catalytic activity versus that of nonclustered assemblies

Study of Tubular Structures of the Misfit Layered Compound SnS₂/SnS

Tubular structures of the SnS₂/SnS misfit compound, which are currently prepared in large amounts, are reported. The lattice mismatch between the two alternating sublayers of SnS₂ and SnS leads to a variety of chiral tubular structures. Such tubular structures are studied via high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The diversity of the structures manifests itself through different stacking orders of SnS₂ and SnS layers along their common <i>c</i>-axis and their relative in-plane orientation. Folding vectors and chiral angles of both subsystems can be determined

Multimode Fabry-Pérot Conductance Oscillations in Suspended Stacking-Faults-Free InAs Nanowires

We report on observation of coherent electron transport in suspended high-quality InAs nanowire-based devices. The InAs nanowires were grown by low-temperature gold-assisted vapor−liquid−solid molecular-beam-epitaxy. The high quality of the nanowires was achieved by removing the typically found stacking faults and reducing possibility of Au incorporation. Minimizing substrate-induced scattering in the device was achieved by suspending the nanowires over predefined grooves. Coherent transport involving more than a single one-dimensional mode transport was observed in the experiment and manifested by Fabry−Pérot conductance oscillations. The length of the Fabry−Pérot interferometer, deduced from the period of the conductance oscillations, was found to be close to the physical length of the device. The high oscillations visibility imply nearly ballistic electron transport through the nanowire

Guided Growth of Horizontal ZnO Nanowires with Controlled Orientations on Flat and Faceted Sapphire Surfaces

The large-scale integration of nanowires into practical devices is hindered by the limited ability to controllably assemble these nanoscale objects on surfaces. Following our first report on the guided growth of millimeter-long horizontal nanowires with controlled orientations, here we demonstrate the generality of the guided growth approach by extending it from GaN nanowires to ZnO nanowires. We describe the guided growth of horizontally aligned ZnO nanowires with controlled crystallographic orientations on eight different planes of sapphire, including both flat and faceted surfaces. The growth directions, crystallographic orientation, and faceting of the nanowires are constant for each surface plane and are determined by their epitaxial relation with the substrate, as well as by a graphoepitaxial effect that guides their growth along surface steps and grooves. These horizontal ZnO nanowires exhibit optical and electronic properties comparable to those of vertically grown nanowires, indicating a low concentration of defects. While the guided growth of ZnO nanowires described here resembles the guided growth of GaN nanowires in its general aspects, it also displays notable differences and qualitatively new phenomena, such as the controlled growth of nanowires with vicinal orientations, longitudinal grain boundaries, and thickness-dependent orientations. This article proves the generality of the guided growth phenomenon, which enables us to create highly controlled nanowire structures and arrays with potential applications not available by other means

Two-Color Antibunching from Band-Gap Engineered Colloidal Semiconductor Nanocrystals

Photon antibunching is ubiquitously observed in light emitted from quantum systems but is usually associated only with the lowest excited state of the emitter. Here, we devise a fluorophore that upon photoexcitation emits in either one of two distinct colors but exhibits strong antibunching between the two. This work demonstrates the possibility of creating room-temperature quantum emitters with higher complexity than effective two level systems via colloidal synthesis

Guided Growth of Horizontal GaN Nanowires on Quartz and Their Transfer to Other Substrates

The guided growth of horizontal nanowires has so far been demonstrated on a limited number of substrates. In most cases, the nanowires are covalently bonded to the substrate where they grow and cannot be transferred to other substrates. Here we demonstrate the guided growth of well-aligned horizontal GaN nanowires on quartz and their subsequent transfer to silicon wafers by selective etching of the quartz while maintaining their alignment. The guided growth was observed on different planes of quartz with varying degrees of alignment. We characterized the crystallographic orientations of the nanowires and proposed a new mechanism of “dynamic graphoepitaxy” for their guided growth on quartz. The transfer of the guided nanowires enabled the fabrication of back-gated field-effect transistors from aligned nanowire arrays on oxidized silicon wafers and the production of crossbar arrays. The guided growth of transferrable nanowires opens up the possibility of massively parallel integration of nanowires into functional systems on virtually any desired substrate

Coordination-Based Gold Nanoparticle Layers

Gold nanoparticle (NP) mono- and multilayers were constructed on gold surfaces using coordination chemistry. Hydrophilic Au NPs (6.4 nm average core diameter), capped with a monolayer of 6-mercaptohexanol, were modified by partial substitution of bishydroxamic acid disulfide ligand molecules into their capping layer. A monolayer of the ligand-modified Au NPs was assembled via coordination with Zr4+ ions onto a semitransparent Au substrate (15 nm Au, evaporated on silanized glass and annealed) precoated with a self-assembled monolayer of the bishydroxamate disulfide ligand. Layer-by-layer construction of NP multilayers was achieved by alternate binding of Zr4+ ions and ligand-modified NPs onto the first NP layer. Characterization by atomic force microscopy (AFM), ellipsometry, wettability, transmission UV−vis spectroscopy, and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy showed regular growth of NP layers, with a similar NP density in successive layers and gradually increased roughness. The use of coordination chemistry enables convenient step-by-step assembly of different ligand-possessing components to obtain elaborate structures. This is demonstrated by introducing nanometer-scale vertical spacing between a NP layer and the gold surface, using a coordination-based organic multilayer. Electrical characterization of the NP films was carried out using conductive AFM, emphasizing the barrier properties of the organic spacer multilayer. The results exhibit the potential of coordination self-assembly in achieving highly controlled composite nanostructures comprising molecules, NPs, and other ligand-derivatized components

Guided Growth of Horizontal p‑Type ZnTe Nanowires

A major challenge toward large-scale integration of nanowires is the control over their alignment and position. A possible solution to this challenge is the guided growth process, which enables the synthesis of well-aligned horizontal nanowires that grow according to specific epitaxial or graphoepitaxial relations with the substrate. However, the guided growth of horizontal nanowires was demonstrated for a limited number of materials, most of which exhibit unintentional n-type behavior. Here we demonstrate the vapor–liquid–solid growth of guided horizontal ZnTe nanowires and nanowalls displaying p-type behavior on four different planes of sapphire. The growth directions of the nanowires are determined by epitaxial relations between the nanowires and the substrate or by a graphoepitaxial effect that guides their growth along nanogrooves or nanosteps along the surface. We characterized the crystallographic orientations and elemental composition of the nanowires using transmission electron microscopy and photoluminescence. The optoelectronic and electronic properties of the nanowires were studied by fabricating photodetectors and top-gate thin film transistors. These measurements showed that the guided ZnTe nanowires are p-type semiconductors and are photoconductive in the visible range. The guided growth of horizontal p-type nanowires opens up the possibility of parallel nanowire integration into functional systems with a variety of potential applications not available by other means

Guided CdSe Nanowires Parallelly Integrated into Fast Visible-Range Photodetectors

One-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures, such as nanowires (NWs), have attracted tremendous attention due to their unique properties and potential applications in nanoelectronics, nano-optoelectronics, and sensors. One of the challenges toward their integration into practical devices is their large-scale controlled assembly. Here, we report the guided growth of horizontal CdSe nanowires on five different planes of sapphire. The growth direction and crystallographic orientation are controlled by the epitaxial relationship with the substrate as well as by a graphoepitaxial effect of surface nanosteps and grooves. CdSe is a promising direct-bandgap II–VI semiconductor active in the visible range, with potential applications in optoelectronics. The guided CdSe nanowires were found to have a wurtzite single-crystal structure. Field-effect transistors and photodetectors were fabricated to examine the nanowire electronic and optoelectronic properties, respectively. The latter exhibited the fastest rise and fall times ever reported for CdSe nanostructures as well as a relatively high gain, both features being essential for optoelectronic applications