We have successfully fabricated ordered, well-crystallized Bi2S3 nanowire arrays embedded in the nanochannels of porous anodic aluminium oxide templates by direct current electrodeposition from a dimethylsulfoxide solution containing BiCl3 and elemental sulfur. X-ray diffraction and selected area electron diffraction investigations demonstrate that the Bi2S3 nanowires have an orthorhombic uniform structure. Electromicroscopy results show that the nanowires are quite ordered with diameters of about 40 nm and lengths up to 5 µm. X-ray energy dispersion analysis indicates that the atomic composition of Bi and S is very close to a 2 : 3 stoichiometry. The optical properties of these nanowires were characterized by optical absorption techniques. These studies reveal that the annealed Bi2S3 nanowires have an optical band edge (direct) of about 1.56 eV.

Single-crystalline Bi nanowire arrays have been assembled into the nanochannels of anodic alumina membranes by electrodeposition. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy investigations revealed that the nanowires with diameter of either 50 nm or 20 nm are essentially single crystalline and highly oriented. The magnetotransport properties of the Bi nanowire arrays were measured, and positive magnetoresistance as high as 45% at 100 K was observed.} \fnm{3}{Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

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