Fabrication of Syringe-Shaped GaN Nanorods

Syringe-shaped GaN nanorods are synthesized on Si（111） substrates by annealing sputtered Ga2O3/BN films under flowing ammonia at temperature of 950℃. Most of the nanorods consist of a main rod and a top needle, looking like a syringe. X-ray diffraction and selected-area electron diffraction confirm that the syringe-shaped nanorods are hexagonal wurtzite GaN. Scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveal that these nanorods are as long as several micrometres, with diameters ranging from 100 to 300nm. In addition to the BN intermediate layer, the proper annealing temperature has been demonstrated to be a crucial factor for the growth of syringe-shaped nanorods by this method.     

Selective Area Growth and Characterization of GaN Nanorods Fabricated by Adjusting the Hydrogen Flow Rate and Growth Temperature with Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition

GaN nanorods are successfully fabricated by adjusting the how rate ratio of hydrogen(H_2)/nitrogen(N_2) and growth temperature of the selective area growth(SAG) method with metal organic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD).The SAG template is obtained by nanospherical-lens photolithography.It is found that increasing the flow rate of H_2 will change the GaN crystal shape from pyramid to vertical rod,while increasing the growth temperature will reduce the diameters of GaN rods to nanometer scale.Finally the GaN nanorods with smooth lateral surface and relatively good quality are obtained under the condition that the H_2:N_2 ratio is 1:1 and the growth temperature is 1030℃.The good crystal quality and orientation of GaN nanorods are confirmed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy.The cathodoluminescence spectrum suggests that the crystal and optical quality is also improved with increasing the temperature.     

A study of transition from n-to p-type based on hexagonal WO3 nanorods sensor

Hexagonal WO3 nanorods are fabricated by a facile hydrothermal process at 180 ℃ using sodium tungstate and sodium chloride as starting materials. The morphology, structure, and composition of the prepared nanorods are studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. It is found that the agglomeration of the nanorods is strongly dependent on the PH value of the reaction solution. Uniform and isolated WO3 nanorods with diameters ranging from 100 nm-150 nm and lengths up to several micrometers are obtained at PH = 2.5 and the nanorods are identified as being hexagonal in phase structure. The sensing characteristics of the WO3 nanorod sensor are obtained by measuring the dynamic response to NO2 with concentrations in the range 0.5 ppm-5 ppm and at working temperatures in the range 25 ℃-250 ℃. The obtained WO3 nanorods sensors are found to exhibit opposite sensing behaviors, depending on the working temperature. When being exposed to oxidizing NO2 gas, the WO3 nanorod sensor behaves as an n-type semiconductor as expected when the working temperature is higher than 50 ℃, whereas, it behaves as a p-type semiconductor below 50 ℃. The origin of the n- to p-type transition is correlated with the formation of an inversion layer at the surface of the WO3 nanorod at room temperature. This finding is useful for making new room temperature NO2 sensors based on hexagonal WO3 nanorods.     

Fabrication of Mn-Doped GaN Nanobars

We report a new method for large-scale production of GaMnN nanobars, by ammoniating Ga2O3 films doped with Mn under flowing ammonia atmosphere at 1000oC. The Mn-doped GaN sword-like nanobars are a single-crystal hexagonal structure, containing Mn up to 5.43 atom%. Thickness is about 100 nm and with a width of 200-400 nm. The nanobars are characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and photoluminescence. The GaN nanobars show two emission bands with a well-defined PL peak at 388 nm and 409 nm respectively. The large distinct redshift （409 nm） are comparable to pure GaN（370 nm） at room temperature. The red-shift photoluminescence is due to Mn doping. The growth mechanism of crystalline GaN nanobars is discussed briefly.     

Synthesis of GaN Nanorods by Ammoniating Ga2O3/ZnO Films

Large quantities of CaN nanorods are successfully synthesized on Si（111） substrates by ammoniating the films of Ga2O3/ZnO at 950℃ in a quartz tube. The structure, morphology and optical properties of the as-prepared CaN nanorods are studied by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and photoluminescence. The results show that the CaN nanorods have a hexagonal wurtzite structure with lengths of several micrometres and diameters from 80 nm to 300hm, which could supply an attractive potential to harmonically incorporate future GaN optoelectronic devices into Si-based large-scale integrated circuits. The growth mechanism is also briefly discussed.     

Synthesis of Au nanorods in a low pH solution via seed-media method

The gold(Au) nanorods with various aspect ratios are obtained by a seed-media method in low pH growth solution.Transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and UV-visible spectrophotometry are utilized to characterize the Au nanorods,and the longitudinal absorption peak positions of Au nanorods show different shifting trends of the growth evolutions in various low pH(1～3) solutions. Other influential factors on the shape of Au nanorod are also systematically studied under low pH reaction condition. The positions of longitudinal peak shift between 600 nm and 900 nm, with the aspect ratios of Au nanorods varying from 2 to 5 both in the simulation and experimental results. The simulation results are in agreement with experimental ones.     

Synthesis and Characteristics of Electrodeposited CoxZn1-x Nanorods

CoxZn1-x nanorod arrays were fabricated by electrodeposition in porous anodic aluminum oxide templates at different electric potentials. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy indicate that highly-ordered and uniform nanorods have been fabricated. The amounts of Co and Zn contents are investigated using energy dispersive spectroscopy, which demonstrates that the atom ratio of the alloy nanorods changes with the deposition potential. In addition, magnetic measurements show that the magnetic isotropy Co-rich CoZn nanorods will change to magnetic anisotropy nanorods with the easy axis parallel to the rod long axis with decreasing Co content.     

Optical Properties and Structure Analyses of Zinc Sulfide Nanorods

ZnS nanorods were synthesized using solvothermal process with ethylenediamine as a bidentate ligand to form Zn^2 complexes and dodecylthiol providing an effective control over the crystal growth of ZnS nanorod. The microstructure of the nanorods was characterized by x-ray diffraction and transmission-electron microscopy. The optical properties of ZnS nanorods were examined by the photoluminescence spectrum.     

Photoactive area modification in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells using optimization of electrochemically synthesized ZnO nanorods

In this work, Zn O nanorod arrays grown by an electrochemical deposition method are investigated. The crucial parameters of length, diameter, and density of the nanorods are optimized over the synthesize process and nanorods growth time. Crystalline structure, morphologies, and optical properties of Zn O nanorod arrays are studied by different techniques such as x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscope, and UV–visible transmission spectra.The Zn O nanorod arrays are employed in an inverted bulk heterojunction organic solar cell of Poly(3-hexylthiophene):[6-6] Phenyl-(6) butyric acid methyl ester to introduce more surface contact between the electron transporter layer and the active layer. Our results show that the deposition time is a very important factor to achieve the aligned and uniform Zn O nanorods with suitable surface density which is required for effective infiltration of active area into the Zn O nanorod spacing and make a maximum interfacial surface contact for electron collection, as overgrowing causes nanorods to be too dense and thick and results in high resistance and lower visible light transmittance. By optimizing the thickness of the active layer on top of Zn O nanorods, an improved efficiency of 3.17% with a high FF beyond 60% was achieved.     

Fabrication and Characterization of Mg-Doped GaN Nanowires

Mg-doped GaN nanowires have been synthesized by ammoniating Ga2O3 films doped with Mg under flowing ammonia atmosphere at 850℃. The Mg-doped GaN nanowires are characterized by x-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscope （SEM）, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM） and photoluminescence （PL）. The results demonstrate that the nanowires are single crystalline with hexagonal wurzite structure. The diameters of the nanowires are 20-30nto and the lengths are 50-100μm. The GaN nanowires show three emission bands with well-defined PL peak at 3.45 eV, 3.26 eV, 2.95 eV, respectively. The large distinct blueshift of the bandgap emission can be attributed to the Burstein-Moss effect. The peak at 3.26 eV represents the transition from the conduction-band edge to the acceptor level AM （acceptor Mg）. The growth mechanism of crystalline GaN nanowires is discussed briefly.     

Growth of Indium Nanorods by Magnetron Sputtering

Indium nanorods are grown on silicon substrates by using magnetron-sputtering technique. Film morphologies and nanorod microstructure are investigated by using scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM）, and x-ray diffraction. It is found that the mean diameter of the nanorods ranges from 30nm to 100nm and the height ranges from 30nm to 200nm. The HRTEM investigations show that the indium nanorods are single crystals and grow along the [100] axis. The nanorods grow from the facets near the surface undulation that is caused by compressive stress in the indium grains generated during grain coalescence process. For low melting point and high diffusivity metal, such as bismuth and indium, this spontaneous nanorod growth mechanism can be used to fabricate nanostructures.     

ZnO nanorod arrays with tunable size and field emission properties on an ITO substrate achieved by an electrodeposition method

In the present work,vertically aligned ZnO nanorod arrays with tunable size are successfully synthesized on nonseeded ITO glass substrates by a simple electrodeposition method.The effect of growth conditions on the phase,morphology,and orientation of the products are studied in detail by X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).It is observed that the as-prepared nanostructures exhibit a preferred orientation along c axis,and the size and density of the ZnO nanorod can be controlled by changing the concentration of ZnCl2.Field emission properties of the as-synthesized samples with different diameters are also studied,and the results show that the nanorod arrays with a smaller diameter and appropriate rod density exhibit better emission properties.The ZnO nanorod arrays show a potential application in field emitters.     

Synthesis of large-scale GaN nanowires by ammoniating Ga2O3 films on Co layer deposited on Si（111） substrates

A mass of GaN nanowires has been successfully synthesized on Si（111） substrates by magnetron sputtering through ammoniating Ga2O3/Co films at 950℃. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscope and Fourier transformed infrared spectra are used to characterize the samples. The results demonstrate that the nanowires are of single-crystal GaN with a hexagonal wurtzite structure and possess relatively smooth surfaces. The growth mechanism of GaN nanowires is also discussed.     

Synthesis of flower-shape clustering GaN nanorods by ammoniating Ga2O3 films

Flower-shape clustering GaN nanorods are successfully synthesized on Si（111） substrates through ammoniating Ga2O3/ZnO films at 950℃. The as-grown products are characterized by x-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscope （SEM）, field-emission transmission electron microscope （FETEM）, Fourier transform infrared spectrum （FTIR） and fluorescence spectrophotometer. The SEM images demonstrate that the products consist of flower-shape clustering GaN nanorods. The XRD indicates that the reflections of the samples can be indexed to the hexagonal GaN phase and HRTEM shows that the nanorods are of pure hexagonal GaN single crystal. The photoluminescence （PL） spectrum indicates that the GaN nanorods have a good emission property. The growth mechanism is also briefly discussed.     

Synthesis and application of TiO_2 single-crystal nanorod arrays grown by multicycle hydrothermal for dye-sensitized solar cells

TiO2 is a wide band gap semiconductor with important applications in photovoltaic cells. Vertically aligned Tit2 nanorod arrays （NRs） are grown on the fluorine-doped tin oxide （FTO） substrates by a multicycle hydrothermal synthesis process. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM）, and selected-area electron diffraction （SAED）. It is found that dye-sensitized solar cells （DSSCs） assembled by the as-prepared Tit2 single-crystal NRs exhibit different trends under the condition of different nucleation and growth concentrations. Optimum cell performance is obtained with high nucleation concentration and low growth cycle concentration. The efficiency enhancement is mainly attributed to the improved specific surface area of the nanorod.     

Controlling the orientation of ZnO nanorod arrays using TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> thin film templates dip-coated by sol–gel

The oriented ZnO nanorod arrays have been synthesized on a silicon wafer that coated with TiO₂ films by aqueous chemical method. The morphologies, phase structure and the photoluminescence (PL) properties of the as-obtained product were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and PL spectrum. The nanorods were about 100 nm in diameter and more than 1 μm in length, which possessed wurtzite structure with a c axis growth direction. The room-temperature PL measurement of the nanorod arrays showed strong ultraviolet emission. The effect of the crystal structure and the thickness of TiO₂ films on the morphologies of ZnO nanostructures were investigated. It was found that the rutile TiO₂ films were appropriate to the oriented growth of ZnO nanorod arrays in comparison with anatase TiO₂ films. Moreover, flakelike ZnO nanostructures were obtained with increasing the thickness of anatase TiO₂ films.     

Synthesis and Field Emission of ZnO Nanostructures on CuO Catalyzed Porous Silicon Substrate

Mass production of ZnO nanobelts and hexagonal nanorods has been successfully synthesized on CuO catalyzed porous silicon （PS） using a simple vapour-solid （VS） growth method. A comparison of their morphologies is investigated by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The transmission electron microscopy （TEM） confirms that ZnO nanobelts and nanorods are single crystalline with the growth direction of （0110） and （0001）, respectively. Field emission tests indicate that the ZnO nanostructures on porous silicon have low turn-on field of about 3.6 V/μm （at 1.0μA/cm^2） and the threshold field of about 8.3 V/μm （at 1.0mA/cm^2）, high emission site density （ESD） of approximately 104 cm^-2.     

A Novel Contactless Method for Characterization of Semiconductors：Surface Electron Bean Induced Voltage in Scanning Electron Microscopy

We present a novel contactless and nondestructive method called the surface electron beam induced voltage (SEBIV) method for characterizing semiconductor materials and devices.The SEBIV method is based on the detection of the surface potential induced by electron beams of scanning electron microscopy (SEM).The core part of the SEBIV detection set-up is a circular metal detector placed above the sample surface.The capacitance between the circular detector and whole surface of the sample is estimated to be about 0.64pf.It is large enough for the detection of the induced surface potential.The irradiation mode of electron beam (e-beam) influences the signal generation When the e-beam irradiates on the surface of semiconductors continuously,a differential signal is obtained.The real distribution of surface potentials can be obtained when a pulsed e-beam with a fixed frequency is used for irradiation and a lock-in amplifier is employed for detection.The polarity of induced potential depends on the structure of potential barriers and surface states of samples.The contrast of SEBIV images in SEM changes with irradiation time and e-beam intensity.     

Fabrication of GaN Nanorods in a Large Scale on Si（111）Substrate by Ammoniating Technique

GaN nanorods in a large scale have been synthesized on Si （111） substrates by ammoniating Ga2O3/Mg films under flowing ammonia atmosphere at the temperature of 1000℃ for 15 min. The as-synthesized GaN nanorods are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and highresolution transmission electron microscopy. The results demonstrate that these straight nanorods are hexagonal wurtzite GaN single crystals in diameters ranging from 200 nm to 600 nm.     

Growth of small diameter multi-walled carbon nanotubes by arc discharge process

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes （MWCNTs） are grown by arc discharge method in a controlled methane environment. The arc discharge is produced between two graphite electrodes at the ambient pressures of 100 tort, 300 torr, and 500 torr. Arc plasma parameters such as temperature and density are estimated to investigate the influences of the ambient pressure and the contributions of the ambient pressure to the growth and the structure of the nanotubes. The plasma temperature and density are observed to increase with the increase in the methane ambient pressure. The samples of MWCNT synthesized at different ambient pressures are analyzed using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. An increase in the growth of MWCNT and a decrease in the inner tube diameter are observed with the increase in the methane ambient pressure.