High Density Growth of Indium seeded Silicon Nanowires in the Vapor phase of a High Boiling Point Solvent

Abstract

Herein, we describe the growth of Si nanowires (NWs) in the vapor phase of an organic solvent medium on various substrates (Si, glass, and stainless steel) upon which an indium layer was evaporated. Variation of the reaction time allowed NW length and density to be controlled. The NWs grew via a predominantly root-seeded mechanism with discrete In catalyst seeds formed from the evaporated layer. The NWs and substrates were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The suitability of the indium seeded wires as anode components in Li batteries was probed using cyclic voltammetric (CV) measurements. The route represents a versatile, glassware-based method for the formation of Si NWs directly on a variety of substrates.

Metal-assisted chemical etching of silicon and the behavior of nanoscale silicon materials as Li-ion battery anodes

“…These reports also highlight the negative impact of Au as a catalyst material for LIB applications and proposed the use of either Sn [233,236] or In [237] as electrochemically active catalyst materials, which led to improved performance compared to Au-containing electrodes. Si NWs have also been grown in porous C via a supercritical fluid-liquid-solid (SFLS) method [238].…”

Advances in the Application of Silicon and Germanium Nanowires for High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion Batteries

“…[14] These mechanisms are particularly suited for LIB applications as they allow the growth of dense NW arrays from current collectors and have been implemented in a range of synthetic systems such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), supercritical-fluid/solution synthesis, [15] laser ablation, [16] and solvent vapor growth (SVG). [17][18][19] Adv. Mater …”

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

“…The Si flux required for growth was formed by thermally decomposing phenylsilane (PS) in a high boiling point organic solvent (HBS) medium. 21 Initially, a non-uniform thin film of Cu 15 Si 4 is formed on the copper surface consisting of large micron size crystalline grains. Once the metal surface is covered, the preferred Cu 15 Si 4 crystal habit changes from large micron size grains to anisotropic NWs with diameters of the order of 100 nm.…”