Morphology control of layer-structured gallium selenide nanowires.
Layer-structured group III chalcogenides have highly anisotropic properties and are attractive materials for stable photocathodes and battery electrodes. We report the controlled synthesis and characterization of layer-structured GaSe nanowires via a catalyst-assisted vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth mechanism during GaSe powder evaporation. GaSe nanowires consist of Se-Ga-Ga-Se layers stacked together via van der Waals interactions to form belt-shaped nanowires with a growth direction along the [11-20], width along the [1-100], and height along the [0001] direction. Nanobelts exhibit a variety of morphologies including straight, zigzag, and saw-tooth shapes. These morphologies are realized by controlling the growth temperature and time so that the actual catalysts have a chemical composition of Au, Au-Ga alloy, or Ga. The participation of Ga in the VLS catalyst is important for achieving different morphologies of GaSe. In addition, GaSe nanotubes are also prepared by a slow growth process.
Peng
Hailin
H
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
Meister
Stefan
S
Chan
Candace K
CK
Zhang
Xiao Feng
XF
Cui
Yi
Y
D005708:Gallium / Q000737:chemistry*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D053770:Nanowires; D012643:Selenium / Q000737:chemistry*
C517764:gallium selenide; D005708:Gallium; D012643:Selenium