title: Phase diagram of nanoscale alloy particles used for vapor-liquid-solid growth of semiconductor nanowires.
abstract: We use transmission electron microscopy observations to establish the parts of the phase diagram of nanometer sized Au-Ge alloy drops at the tips of Ge nanowires (NWs) that determine their temperature-dependent equilibrium composition and, hence, their exchange of semiconductor material with the NWs. We find that the phase diagram of the nanoscale drop deviates significantly from that of the bulk alloy, which explains discrepancies between actual growth results and predictions on the basis of the bulk-phase equilibria. Our findings provide the basis for tailoring vapor-liquid-solid growth to achieve complex one-dimensional materials geometries.
authors.affiliation: Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, USA. esutter@bnl.gov
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sutter
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sutter
mesh_terms: D000497:Alloys / Q000737:chemistry*; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D004559:Electric Wiring; D005740:Gases / Q000737:chemistry; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D008839:Microelectrodes; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size; D044367:Phase Transition; D012666:Semiconductors; D012996:Solutions; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D000497:Alloys; D005740:Gases; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D012996:Solutions