Selective Growth of Stacking Fault Free ⟨100⟩ Nanowires on a Polycrystalline Substrate for Energy Conversion Application

Abstract

Cubic semiconductor nanowires grown along ⟨100⟩ directions have been reported to be promising for optoelectronics and energy conversion applications, owing to their pure zinc-blende structure without any stacking fault. But, until date, only limited success has been achieved in growing ⟨100⟩ oriented nanowires. Here we report the selective growth of stacking fault free ⟨100⟩ nanowires on a commercial transparent conductive polycrystalline fluorine-doped SnO2 (FTO) glass substrate via a simple and cost-effective chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. By means of crystallographic analysis and density functional theory calculation, we prove that the orientation relationship between the Au catalyst and the FTO substrate play a vital role in inducing the selective growth of ⟨100⟩ nanowires, which opens a new pathway for controlling the growth directions of nanowires via the elaborate selection of the catalyst and substrate couples during the vapor–solid–liquid (VLS) growth process. The ZnSe nanowires grown on the FTO substrate are further applied as a photoanode in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. It exhibits a higher photocurrent than the ZnSe nanowires do without preferential orientations on a Sn-doped In2O3 (ITO) glass substrate, which we believe to be correlated with the smooth transport of charge carriers in ZnSe ⟨100⟩ nanowires with pure zinc-blende structures, in distinct contrast with the severe electron scattering happened at the stacking faults in ZnSe nanowires on the ITO substrate, as well as the efficient charge transfer across the intensively interacting nanowire–substrate interfaces.

Crystal orientation-dependent tensile mechanical behavior and deformation mechanisms of zinc-blende ZnSe nanowires

“…In group II-VI and III-V binary semiconductor NW systems, due to the crystal polarity of the material and the combination of low energy and high symmetry of the [111] direction, the ZnSe NWs tend to grow in a zincblende cubic structure along the [111] direction 56 . However, in recent years, non-[111]-oriented semiconductor NWs have attracted increasing interest in terms of fundamental research and promising applications due to their outstanding crystal quality and distinctive physical properties [57][58][59] . Introducing numerous growth techniques, (1) Firstly, we investigate the significance of crystal orientation on the stress-strain response behavior of the zinc-blende ZnSe NWs.…”

Anisotropic crystal orientations dependent mechanical properties and fracture mechanisms in zinc blende ZnTe nanowires

“…15,19,51 However, because of their excellent crystal superiority and unique physical features, other orientational semiconductor NWs have gained growing interest in basic research and prospective applications. 52–54 The selective growth of stacking fault-free ZnTe NWs along [100], [110], and [112] crystal orientations is reported using a variety of growth processes, including molecular beam epitaxy and the vapor–liquid–solid growth processes. 55,56 Prior studies also revealed that by maintaining cross-linking among the NWs length, diameter, and growth conditions, NWs can be grown along any of these [110], [100], [112], or [111] four orientations, which are confirmed by X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy.…”

Advances and Challenges in Photoelectrochemical Redox Batteries for Solar Energy Conversion and Storage

“…[ 47 ] synthesized an N‐doped TiO 2 photoanode and demonstrated the superior ability in extending the absorption spectrum and enlarging the specific surface area, which then presented remarkable efficacy in promoting the redox couples conversion and intensifying the solar energy storage. Meanwhile, considering the noteworthy roles of materials structure in influencing both charge carriers transport and mass transfer as well as the quantity of active sites, [ 5a,48 ] which may be the essential conditions to satisfy the extremely fast kinetics of redox reactions, [ 49 ] various structures of the photoelectrode materials have also been proposed. [ 50 ] A typical structure is nanotube, where the larger active surface area and more porous structure can intensify the proton and mass transport and avail the light scattering to deplete the photons, and the sufficient grain boundary plays a favorable role in promoting electron transfer.…”