Ultra-high oxidation resistance of suspended single-wall carbon nanotube bundles grown by an "all-laser" process

Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were laterally grown on SiO2/Si substrates by means of an "all-laser" growth process. Our "all-laser" process stands out by its exclusive use of the same pulsed UV laser, first, to deposit the CoNi nanocatalyst and, second, to grow SWCNTs through the laser ablation of a pure graphite target. The "all-laser" grown SWCNTs generally self-assemble into bundles (5-15 nm-diam.) sprouting from the CoNi nanocatalyst and laterally bridging the 2 microm gap separating adjacent catalysed electrodes (in either "suspended" or "on-substrate" geometries). A comparative study of the oxidation resistance of both suspended and on-substrate SWCNTs was achieved. The "all-laser" grown SWCNTs were subjected to annealing under flowing oxygen at temperatures ranging from 200 to 1100 degrees C. Systematic scanning electron microscopy observations combined with micro-Raman analyses revealed that more than 20% of suspended nanotubes were still stable at temperatures as high as 900 degrees C under flowing O2 while the on-substrate counterpart were completely burnt out at this temperature. Accordingly, the activation energy, as deduced from the Arrhenius plot, of the suspended SWCNTs is found to be as high as approximately 180 kJ mol(-1) (approximately 9 times higher than that of the on-substrate ones). The high quality (almost defect-free) of the nanotubes synthesized by the "all-laser" approach, their protected tips into the embedded CoNi catalyst nanolayer together with their suspended geometry are thought to be responsible for their unprecedented ultra-high oxidation resistance. This opens up new prospects for the use of these suspended nanotubes into nanodevices that have to operate under highly oxidizing environments.     

Characterizing the Structure and Properties of Individual Wire‐Like Nanoentities

A new approach to the characterization of the mechanical and electrical properties of individual nanowires and nanotubes is demonstrated by in‐situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The technique allows a one‐to‐one correlation between the structure and properties of the nanowires. Recent developments include the determination of the Young's modulii of carbon nanotubes and semiconductor nanowires, femtogram nanobalance of a single fine particle, field emission of carbon nanotubes, and quantum ballistic conductance in carbon nanotubes.     

Nanowire Genome: A Magic Toolbox for 1D Nanostructures

1D nanomaterials with high aspect ratio, i.e., nanowires and nanotubes, have inspired considerable research interest thanks to the fact that exotic physical and chemical properties emerge as their diameters approach or fall into certain length scales, such as the wavelength of light, the mean free path of phonons, the exciton Bohr radius, the critical size of magnetic domains, and the exciton diffusion length. On the basis of their components, aspect ratio, and properties, there may be imperceptible connections among hundreds of nanowires prepared by different strategies. Inspired by the heredity system in life, a new concept termed the “nanowire genome” is introduced here to clarify the relationships between hundreds of nanowires reported previously. As such, this approach will not only improve the tools incorporating the prior nanowires but also help to precisely synthesize new nanowires and even assist in the prediction on the properties of nanowires. Although the road from start‐ups to maturity is long and fraught with challenges, the genetical syntheses of more than 200 kinds of nanostructures stemming from three mother nanowires (Te, Ag, and Cu) are summarized here to demonstrate the nanowire genome as a versatile toolbox. A summary and outlook on future challenges in this field are also presented.     

WS2 nanobuds as a new hybrid nanomaterial

We report on the first inorganic nanobuds: WS2 nanotubes decorated with fullerene-like particles. They were synthesized by sulfurization of W5O14 nanowires. The fullerene-like particles nucleate in surface corrugations of the nanowires and grow by a diffusion process simultaneously with the transformation of nanowires into hollow multiwall nanotubes. Electron microscopy data are correlated with details of the transformation process revealing the possible mechanism of the formation of these new complex nanomaterials.     

Carbon nanotubes grafted on silicon oxide nanowires

In this article, we report the grafting of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on silica nanowires by directly growing nanotubes on the surfaces of the nanowires via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using ferrocene and xylene as Fe catalyst precursor and carbon source, respectively. The grafted carbon nanotubes are a few micrometers long with diameters of 10 to approximately 30 nm, and grow uniformly along the lengths of the nanowires. The distribution density of the grafted carbon nanotubes on the silica nanowires can be tuned by simply adjusting the CVD growth temperature. Our method provides a simple approach for synthesizing nanometer scale grafted heterostructures between nanotubes and nanowires, which could be used to design and construct high-performance filters, chemical sensors and reinforced composites.     

Silica nanowires fabricated with layer-by-layer self-assembled nanoparticles

In this paper we demonstrate an approach to fabricate silica nanowires by combining "top-down" e-beam lithography and "bottom-up" layer-by-layer (LbL) nano self-assembly techniques. The simple and low-cost LbL self-assembly technique is used to grow silica nanoparticle thin film, while the e-beam lithography based lift-off technique is implemented to pattern the self-assembled thin film to nanometer scale. The silica nanowires fabricated by this method have an average width of 90 nm, while the minimum width obtained is 63 nm. Our experimental results indicate a new approach to fabricate nanowires that can be used in nanoelectronic devices and circuits.     

Highly flexible transparent film heaters based on random networks of silver nanowires

We demonstrate a new concept for the fabrication of flexible transparent thin film heaters based on silver nanowires. Thanks to the intrinsic properties of random networks of metallic nanowires, it is possible to combine bendability, transparency and high heating performances at low voltage, typically below 12 V which is of interest for many applications. This is currently not possible with transparent conductive oxide technologies, and it compares well with similar devices fabricated with carbon nanotubes or graphene. We present experiments on glass and poly(ethylene naphthalate) (PEN) substrates (with thicknesses of 125 μm and extremely thin 1.3 μm) with excellent heating performances. We point out that the amount of silver necessary to realize the transparent heaters is very low and we also present preliminary results showing that this material can be efficiently used to fabricate photochromic displays. To our knowledge, this is the first report of metallic nanowire-based transparent thin film heaters. We think these results could be a useful approach for the engineering of highly flexible and transparent heaters which are not attainable by existing processes.      

Opening and reversible filling of single-walled carbon nanotubes with various materials

Single-walled carbon nanotubes have been advocated as perfect candidates for the sustainable miniaturisation of electronic and mechanical nanoscale devices. The encapsulation of selected compounds within the inner hollow cavity of SWNTs allows controlled preparation of nano-meter size "nanowires" and "nanocables" with purpose-tailored physical properties. Therefore is crucial to have control of opening and closing their tips. In a previous study we showed that molten metal hydroxide [MOH (M==Cs, Na)] is filled into the carbon nanotubes and can be easily washed out with water leaving opened nanotubes. Following this approach we have explored the use of milder ways to open SWNTs that can be easily scalable for the production of large amount of opened SWNTs. The opened tubes have then successfully been filled in solution with various inorganic and organic materials.     

Atomic structure,electronic properties,and thermal stability of diamond-like nanowires and nanotubes

Density functional tight-binding calculations are used to investigate the structure, electronic properties, energy stability, and thermal behavior (0–1500 K) of extended monolithic (nanowires) and hollow (nanotubes) diamond-like carbon nanostructures. The results indicate that diamond-like nanowires and nanotubes may be both metallic and semiconducting, depending on their morphology and size. A new type of hybrid (sp ³ + sp ²) nanostructure is identified, which has the form of a monolithic diamond-like (sp ³) wire inside a graphite-like (sp ²) shell. Diamond-like nanowires are shown to be more stable than nanotubes of comparable size.     

Prospects for nanowire-doped polycrystalline graphene films for ultratransparent, highly conductive electrodes

Traditional transparent conducting materials such as ITO are expensive, brittle, and inflexible. Although alternatives like networks of carbon nanotubes, polycrystalline graphene, and metallic nanowires have been proposed, the transparency-conductivity trade-off of these materials makes them inappropriate for broad range of applications. In this paper, we show that the conductivity of polycrystalline graphene is limited by high resistance grain boundaries. We demonstrate that a composite based on polycrystalline graphene and a subpercolating network of metallic nanowires offers a simple and effective route to reduced resistance while maintaining high transmittance. This new approach of "percolation-doping by nanowires" has the potential to beat the transparency-conductivity constraints of existing materials and may be suitable for broad applications in photovoltaics, flexible electronics, and displays.     

A substrate-integrated and scalable templated approach based on rusted steel for the fabrication of polypyrrole nanotube arrays

We report here a facile, generalizable, and entirely scalable approach for the fabrication of vertically aligned arrays of Fe(2)O(3)/polypyrrole core-shell nanostructures and polypyrrole nanotubes. Our "all electrochemical" approach is based on the fabrication of α-Fe(2)O(3) nanowire arrays by the simple heat treatment of commodity low carbon steel substrates, followed by electropolymerization of conformal polypyrrole sheaths around the nanowires. Subsequently, electrochemical etching of the nanowires yields large-area vertically aligned polypyrrole nanotube arrays on the steel substrate. The developed methodology is generalizable to functionalized pyrrole monomers and represents a significant practical advance of relevance to the technological implementation of conjugated polymer nanostructures in electrochromics, electrochemical energy storage, and sensing.     

Self-organized growth of complex nanotube patterns on crystal surfaces

The organization of carbon nanotubes into well-defined straight or curved geometries and arrays on surfaces is a critical prerequisite for their integration into nanocircuits and a variety of functional nanosystems. We review the recent development of a new approach to carbon nanotube organization based on self-organized growth directed by well-defined crystal surfaces, or “nanotube epitaxy”. We identify three different modes of surface-directed growth, namely by atomic rows, atomic steps, and nanofacets. Particular emphasis is given here to the combinations of such surface-directed growth with external forces—like those exerted by an electric field or gas flow—for the creation of well-defined complex geometries, including crossbar architectures, serpentines, and coils.      

Controllable growth of Se nanotubes and nanowires from different solvent during the sonochemical process

Selenium (Se) nanotubes and nanowires have been controllably prepared by a solution-phase approach consisting of hydrothermal process and subsequent sonochemical process in different solvent including methanol, ethanol, acetone, dimethyl formamide, water, isopropanol and ethylene glycol. It is revealed that the formation of the Se nanotubes or nanowires is dependent on the breakage or not of the in-situ generated Se nanoparticles. The effects of the solvents on the morphology of Se nanostructures have been preliminarily discussed. Finally, Se nanotubes and nanowires have been characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field emission scan electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and Raman spectroscopy.     

A facile solution-phase approach to the synthesis of luminescent europium methacrylate nanowires and their thermal conversion into europium oxide nanotubes

Novel one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures of rare earth complexes (europium methacrylate (Eu(MA)(3))) have been prepared from the precursor of irregularly shaped Eu(MA)(3) powder in ethanol solvent without the assistance of an added surfactant, catalyst, or template. These hexagonal-shaped complex nanowires have diameters of about 100-300?nm and lengths ranging from tens to hundreds of micrometers. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) studies and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) show that the precursor powder and the resulting nanowires have identical compositions. Under UV light excitation, strong red fluorescence can be clearly seen throughout the whole wires. This good luminescence characteristic of the complex nanowires is further confirmed by the fluorescence spectrum where strong and narrow emission can be seen. These rare earth complex nanowires provide a useful source for 1D rare earth oxide materials, as the europium ions are distributed uniformly in the Eu(MA)(3) nanowires. Through calcination, the Eu(MA)(3) nanowires are successfully converted into Eu(2)O(3) nanotubes. X-ray investigation confirms that the Eu(2)O(3) nanotubes have a cubic body-centered structure. FTIR measurements and TGA analysis are used to follow the calcination process. A plausible mechanism responsible for the formation of Eu(2)O(3) nanotubes is presented.     

Preparation of carbon nanotubes with iron nanowires inside using a simple microwave-based method

The importance of synthesizing carbon nanotubes with iron nanowires inside (Fe-MWNTs) via microwave radiation lies in the fact that it allows to improve aspects such as selective and uniform heating of the sample, reduction of the time of synthesis, avoiding complex experimental procedures and lowering the cost of production. In this paper we synthesize and characterize carbon nanotubes with iron nanowires inside using a mixture of graphite and iron acetate powders as starting materials and a 900 W domestic microwave oven used as power source. A mixture of the starting materials inside a vacuum sealed quartz ampoule was subjected to radiation for 7 min. As a result straight Fe nanowires are obtained with lengths between 5 and 15 microns, and a wide variety of partially Fe filled nanotubes with diameters in the 30–80 nm range. Samples were characterized with scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy.     

A novel synthesis route of Ag2S nanotubes by sulfidizing silver nanowires in ambient atmosphere

In this study, a 'two-step' strategy of synthesizing nanoparticles-assembled Ag,S nanotubes with a diameter of less than 100 nm is developed. At first, the silver nanowires with uniform length and diameter were synthesized by polyol reduction method using PVP as a capping agent. Then, the resulting silver nanowires were exposed to the ambient atmosphere of laboratory, gradually sulfidized by sulfur-containing molecules in air, and eventually transformed into nanoparticles-assembled Ag2S nanotubes. The morphologic changes during the sulfidation process from Ag nanowires to Ag2S nanotubes were investigated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is revealed that Ag2S nanoparticles are initially formed on the surface of Ag nanowire by sulfidation, and subsequently linked together into Ag,S nanotube. Quantitative analyses of energy dispersive X-ray spectra (EDS) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) show that the as-synthesized products are monoclinic alpha-Ag2S nanotubes. In addition, there is strong evidence that the polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) plays an important role as a soft template in the formation of Ag2S nanotubes. A new absorption peak at 573 nm appears in the optical absorption spectra when the Ag2S nanotubes are formed.     

Gold Nanowire Fabrication with Surface‐Attached Lipid Nanotube Templates

A high‐throughput approach to fabricate gold nanowires on surfaces with a lipid nanotube template is demonstrated. Streptavidin‐coated gold nanoparticles are attached to the biotin‐tagged lipid nanotubes. After the chemical fixation, the samples are dried and treated with oxygen plasma to remove the organic template and connect the particles. The created nanowires are characterized by cryo‐transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and electrical measurements.     

Filling double-walled carbon nanotubes with WO3 and W nanowires via confined chemical reactions

Carbon nanotubes filled with metals and semiconductors have been regarded as one of the most promising materials for nanodevices. Here, we demonstrate a simple and effective method to produce tungsten trioxide (WO3) and tungsten (W) nanowires with diameters of below 4 nm inside double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs). First, the precursors, i.e., phosphotungstic acid (HPW, H3PW12O40) molecules, are successfully introduced into DWCNTs. Subsequent decomposition and reduction lead to the formation of WO3 and W nanowires inside DWCNTs. The products were carefully characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. FTIR spectra provide a direct proof that the HPW molecules enter the DWCNTs as an ionic state, i.e., PW12O40(3-) and H+, instead of the molecular state. HRTEM analysis shows that the diameter of the WO3 nanowires inside DWCNTs is 1.1-2.4 nm with the average length of 16-18 nm, and that for W nanowires is 1.2-3.4 nm with the average length of 15-17 nm. Meanwhile, DWCNTs are doped by the encapsulated WO3 and W nanowires. Tangential band shift in Raman spectra revealed the charge transfer between the nanowires and carbon nanotubes.     

Mapping the "forbidden" transverse-optical phonon in single strained silicon (100) nanowire

The accurate manipulation of strain in silicon nanowires can unveil new fundamental properties and enable novel or enhanced functionalities. To exploit these potentialities, it is essential to overcome major challenges at the fabrication and characterization levels. With this perspective, we have investigated the strain behavior in nanowires fabricated by patterning and etching of 15 nm thick tensile strained silicon (100) membranes. To this end, we have developed a method to excite the "forbidden" transverse-optical (TO) phonons in single tensile strained silicon nanowires using high-resolution polarized Raman spectroscopy. Detecting this phonon is critical for precise analysis of strain in nanoscale systems. The intensity of the measured Raman spectra is analyzed based on three-dimensional field distribution of radial, azimuthal, and linear polarizations focused by a high numerical aperture lens. The effects of sample geometry on the sensitivity of TO measurement are addressed. A significantly higher sensitivity is demonstrated for nanowires as compared to thin layers. In-plane and out-of-plane strain profiles in single nanowires are obtained through the simultaneous probe of local TO and longitudinal-optical (LO) phonons. New insights into strained nanowires mechanical properties are inferred from the measured strain profiles.     

Silicon nanowire transistors with a channel width of 4 nm fabricated by atomic force microscope nanolithography

The emergence of an ultrasensitive sensor technology based on silicon nanowires requires both the fabrication of nanoscale diameter wires and the integration with microelectronic processes. Here we demonstrate an atomic force microscopy lithography that enables the reproducible fabrication of complex single-crystalline silicon nanowire field-effect transistors with a high electrical performance. The nanowires have been carved from a silicon-on-insulator wafer by a combination of local oxidation processes with a force microscope and etching steps. We have fabricated and measured the electrical properties of a silicon nanowire transistor with a channel width of 4 nm. The flexibility of the nanofabrication process is illustrated by showing the electrical performance of two nanowire circuits with different geometries. The fabrication method is compatible with standard Si CMOS processing technologies and, therefore, can be used to develop a wide range of architectures and new microelectronic devices.