title: In-situ observations of nanoscale effects in germanium nanowire growth with ternary eutectic alloys.
abstract: Vapour-liquid-solid (VLS) techniques are popular routes for the scalable synthesis of semiconductor nanowires. In this article, in-situ electron microscopy is used to correlate the equilibrium content of ternary (Au0.75 Ag0.25 -Ge and Au0.65 Ag0.35 -Ge) metastable alloys with the kinetics, thermodynamics and diameter of Ge nanowires grown via a VLS mechanism. The shape and geometry of the heterogeneous interfaces between the liquid eutectic and solid Ge nanowires varies as a function of nanowire diameter and eutectic alloy composition. The behaviour of the faceted heterogeneous liquid-solid interface correlates with the growth kinetics of the nanowires, where the main growth facet at the solid nanowire-liquid catalyst drop contact line lengthens for faster nanowire growth kinetics. Pronounced diameter dependent growth kinetics, as inferred from liquid-solid interfacial behaviour, is apparent for the synthesised nanowires. Direct in-situ microscopy observations facilitates the comparison between the nanowire growth behaviour from ternary (Au-Ag-Ge) and binary (Au-Ge) eutectic systems.
authors.affiliation: Materials Chemistry & Analysis Group, Department of Chemistry and the Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, 2, Ireland.
authors.forename: Subhajit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Biswas
authors.forename: Colm
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: O'Regan
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Justin D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Holmes
keywords: TEM; VLS; alloys; germanium; growth kinetics; nanowires