Single-Crystalline Vanadium Dioxide Nanowires with Rectangular Cross Sections

Abstract

We report the synthesis of single-crystalline VO2 nanowires with rectangular cross sections using a vapor transport method. These nanowires have typical diameters of 60 (+/-30) nm and lengths up to >10 mum. Electron microscopy and diffraction measurements show that the VO2 nanowires are single crystalline and exhibit a monoclinic structure. Moreover, they preferentially grow along the [100] direction and are bounded by the (01) and (011) facets. These VO2 nanowires should provide promising materials for fundamental investigations of nanoscale metal-insulator transitions.

Inhomogeneity of the ultrafast insulator-to-metal transition dynamics of VO2

“…The VO 2 microcrystals that we study are grown by vapour transport 24 . They show an abrupt, first-order transition in the absence of strain or doping 25 , in contrast to the percolation behaviour observed in thin-film samples 18 .…”

“…The single-crystal vanadium dioxide microcrystals were grown by vapour phase transport on an oxidized silicon substrate 24 . This produces rectangular cross-sectional microcrystals of varying sizes and orientations, as shown in Fig.…”

Growth of Crystalline Copper Silicide Nanowires in High Yield within a High Boiling Point Solvent System

“…The preference for growth of 1-D structures rather than continued bulk crystal formation has previously been linked to the existence of a time point in the reaction where the vapour supersaturation level decreases, such that anisotropic growth is favoured rather than addition to limited surface nucleation points. 31,32,[46][47][48] In the context of the single injection protocol employed here, it is logical that bulk crystallite growth should occur at the initial stage of the reaction where the Si concentration is at its highest. As the silane is consumed by the reaction with the Cu foil, the supersaturation drops such that NW growth is favoured over continued bulk growth.…”

Anomalously low electronic thermal conductivity in metallic vanadium dioxide

“…This is a crucial condition that, if not satisfied, could result in an erroneous determination of k e and assessment of the WF law, especially for VO 2 , which has an anisotropic crystal structure. The single-crystal VO 2 nanobeams were grown by the previously reported vapor-transport method (20)(21)(22) (see materials and methods, along with figs. S1 and S2).…”