Catalytic solid-phase seeding of silicon nanowires by nickel nanocrystals in organic solvents.
Colloidal nickel (Ni) nanocrystals were used to direct the synthesis of crystalline silicon (Si) nanowires in an organic solvent. The reaction temperatures ranged from 400 degrees C to 520 degrees C with pressures from 14.3 to 23.4 MPa, conditions that are well above the critical point of the solvent. The Ni nanocrystals play two roles in the synthesis: (1) Ni catalyzes the decomposition of the silicon precursors, i.e., arylsilanes, alkylsilanes, and trisilane, to silicon; (2) Ni nanocrystals induce silicon crystallization through the solid-phase alloying of Si in the Ni seeds. We call this nanowire growth mechanism supercritical fluid-solid-solid (SFSS) synthesis.
Tuan
Hsing-Yu
HY
Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Materials Institute, Center for Nano- and Molecular Science and Technology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712-1062, USA.
Lee
Doh C
DC
Hanrath
Tobias
T
Korgel
Brian A
BA