Surface-energy induced formation of single crystalline bismuth nanowires over vanadium thin film at room temperature.

Liu, Mingzhao; Tao, Jing; Nam, Chang-Yong; Kisslinger, Kim; Zhang, Lihua; Su, Dong · Nano Lett · 2014

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

We report high-yield room-temperature growth of vertical single-crystalline bismuth nanowire array by vacuum thermal evaporation of bismuth over a choice of arbitrary substrate coated with a thin interlayer of nanoporous vanadium. The nanowire growth is the result of spontaneous and continuous expulsion of nanometer-sized bismuth domains from the vanadium pores, driven by their excessive surface energy that suppresses the melting point of bismuth close to room temperature. The simplicity of the technique opens a new avenue for the growth of nanowire arrays of a variety of materials.