Solvothermal Route to Semiconductor Nanowires

Solvothermal synthesis is an important technology for the preparation of nanowires at low temperature. Nanowires can grow as long as 100 μm with the aid of polymer matrix, and under the pressure generated by solvothermal reactions, the as‐prepared nanowires are well crystallized. For water‐sensitive reactions, solvothermal reactions can fully avoid the presence of water. We discuss here the synthesis of a variety of nanowire structures, including CdS–CdSe core–sheath nanowires and very long CdS nanowires, and the solvothermal closure of PbS nanowires. Now that an appropriate procedure has been established, the solvothermal reactions are efficient and time‐saving.     

Striped Metal Nanowires as Building Blocks and Optical Tags

Sequential electrodeposition within a porous template can be used to prepare striped nanowires with tailorable dimensions and composition. Variations in composition along the length of the wire can be used to incorporate electrical functionality, optical contrast, and/or desired surface chemistry. Nanowires can be functionalized with chemical or biochemical reagents appropriate for assembly or biosensing. Therefore, these particles are interesting as building blocks for nanoscale electronics and as “barcodes” for both biological and non‐biological tagging applications. In this article, we briefly discuss the synthesis and optical readout of striped metal nanowires, as well as progress towards each of these potential applications.