| 1. |
- Behrle, Raphael, et al.
(författare)
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Electrical and Structural Properties of Si1−xGex Nanowires Prepared from a Single-Source Precursor
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nanomaterials. - : MDPI AG. - 2079-4991. ; 13:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Si1−xGex nanowires (NWs) were prepared by gold-supported chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using a single-source precursor with preformed Si–Ge bonds. Besides the tamed reactivity of the precursor, the approach reduces the process parameters associated with the control of decomposition characteristics and the dosing of individual precursors. The group IV alloy NWs are single crystalline with a constant diameter along their axis. During the wire growth by low pressure CVD, an Au-containing surface layer on the NWs forms by surface diffusion from the substrate, which can be removed by a combination of oxidation and etching. The electrical properties of the Si1−xGex/Au core-shell NWs are compared to the Si1−xGex NWs after Au removal. Core–shell NWs show signatures of metal-like behavior, while the purely semiconducting NWs reveal typical signatures of intrinsic Si1−xGex. The synthesized materials should be of high interest for applications in nano- and quantum-electronics.
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| 2. |
- Hu, Tianyi, et al.
(författare)
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Direct Observation of Liquid–Solid Two-Phase Seed Particle-Assisted Kinking in GaP Nanowire Growth
- 2023
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Ingår i: Small Structures. - 2688-4062. ; 4:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the last decades, the metal-assisted growth approach of semiconductor nanowires (NWs) has shown its potential in controlling crystal properties, such as crystal structure, composition, and morphology. Recently, literature reports have shown successful semiconductor NW growth with multiphase seed particles under growth conditions. Exploring alternative metal seeds and the mechanisms for growing semiconductor NWs is an exciting research field aiming to improve the control over the crystal growth process. Herein, the gallium phosphide (GaP) NW growth using Cu as seed particles inside an environmental transmission electron microscope is studied. In particular, the transformations of the Cu-rich seed particles during the nucleation and growth of GaP NWs are observed. The supply of a relatively high amount of Ga atoms by the precursor mixture led to a solid Cu-rich seed particle core covered by a liquid phase. Different growth dynamics within the two-phase seed particle resulted in local competition in NW growth. As a result, the GaP NW kinked into another growth direction by forming a new interface at the NW growth front. The generated results enable insights into fundamental processes occurring in the seed particle during growth, creating leverage points for controlling the NW morphology.
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| 3. |
- Seifner, Michael S., et al.
(författare)
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Insights into the Synthesis Mechanisms of Ag-Cu3P-GaP Multicomponent Nanoparticles
- 2023
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Ingår i: ACS Nano. - 1936-0851. ; 17:8, s. 7674-7684
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Metal-semiconductor nanoparticle heterostructures are exciting materials for photocatalytic applications. Phase and facet engineering are critical for designing highly efficient catalysts. Therefore, understanding processes occurring during the nanostructure synthesis is crucial to gain control over properties such as the surface and interface facets’ orientations, morphology, and crystal structure. However, the characterization of nanostructures after the synthesis makes clarifying their formation mechanisms nontrivial and sometimes even impossible. In this study, we used an environmental transmission electron microscope with an integrated metal-organic chemical vapor deposition system to enlighten fundamental dynamic processes during the Ag-Cu3P-GaP nanoparticle synthesis using Ag-Cu3P seed particles. Our results reveal that the GaP phase nucleated at the Cu3P surface, and growth proceeded via a topotactic reaction involving counter-diffusion of Cu+ and Ga3+ cations. After the initial GaP growth steps, the Ag and Cu3P phases formed specific interfaces with the GaP growth front. GaP growth proceeded by a similar mechanism observed for the nucleation involving the diffusion of Cu atoms through/along the Ag phase toward other regions, followed by the redeposition of Cu3P at a specific Cu3P crystal facet, not in contact with the GaP phase. The Ag phase was essential for this process by acting as a medium enabling the efficient transport of Cu atoms away from and, simultaneously, Ga atoms toward the GaP-Cu3P interface. This study shows that enlightening fundamental processes is critical for progress in synthesizing phase- and facet-engineered multicomponent nanoparticles with tailored properties for specific applications, including catalysis.
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| 4. |
- Seifner, Michael S., et al.
(författare)
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Interface Dynamics in Ag–Cu3P Nanoparticle Heterostructures
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0002-7863 .- 1520-5126.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Earth-abundant transition metal phosphides are promising materials for energy-related applications. Specifically, copper(I) phosphide is such a material and shows excellent photocatalytic activity. Currently, there are substantial research efforts to synthesize well-defined metal–semiconductor nanoparticle heterostructures to enhance the photocatalytic performance by an efficient separation of charge carriers. The involved crystal facets and heterointerfaces have a major impact on the efficiency of a heterostructured photocatalyst, which points out the importance of synthesizing potential photocatalysts in a controlled manner and characterizing their structural and morphological properties in detail. In this study, we investigated the interface dynamics occurring around the synthesis of Ag–Cu3P nanoparticle heterostructures by a chemical reaction between Ag–Cu nanoparticle heterostructures and phosphine in an environmental transmission electron microscope. The major product of the Cu–Cu3P phase transformation using Ag–Cu nanoparticle heterostructures with a defined interface as a template preserved the initially present Ag{111} facet of the heterointerface. After the complete transformation, corner truncation of the faceted Cu3P phase led to a physical transformation of the nanoparticle heterostructure. In some cases, the structural rearrangement toward an energetically more favorable heterointerface has been observed and analyzed in detail at the atomic level. The herein-reported results will help better understand dynamic processes in Ag–Cu3P nanoparticle heterostructures and enable facet-engineered surface and heterointerface design to tailor their physical properties.
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