From nucleation to nanowires: a single-step process in reactive plasmas
This feature article introduces a deterministic approach for the rapid, single-step, direct synthesis of metal oxide nanowires. This approach is based on the exposure of thin metal samples to reactive oxygen plasmas and does not require any intervening processing or external substrate heating. The c...
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| Published in | Nanoscale Vol. 2; no. 1; pp. 212 - 227 |
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| Main Authors | , , , , |
| Format | Journal Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
England
01.01.2010
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| Subjects | |
| Online Access | Get full text |
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| Summary: | This feature article introduces a deterministic approach for the rapid, single-step, direct synthesis of metal oxide nanowires. This approach is based on the exposure of thin metal samples to reactive oxygen plasmas and does not require any intervening processing or external substrate heating. The critical roles of the reactive oxygen plasmas, surface processes, and plasma-surface interactions that enable this growth are critically examined by using a deterministic viewpoint. The essentials of the experimental procedures and reactor design are presented and related to the key process requirements. The nucleation and growth kinetics is discussed for typical solid-liquid-solid and vapor-solid-solid mechanisms related to the synthesis of the oxide nanowires of metals with low (Ga, Cd) and high (Fe) melting points, respectively. Numerical simulations are focused on the possibility to predict the nanowire nucleation points through the interaction of the plasma radicals and ions with the nanoscale morphological features on the surface, as well as to control the localized 'hot spots' that in turn determine the nanowire size and shape. This generic approach can be applied to virtually any oxide nanoscale system and further confirms the applicability of the plasma nanoscience approaches for deterministic nanoscale synthesis and processing.
This feature article presents the essentials of the plasma-enabled, single-step, rapid synthesis of metal oxide nanowires by direct exposure of metal foils to reactive oxygen plasmas. A deterministic viewpoint is used to follow the nucleation and growth kinetics, from oxygen dissociation in the plasma to the formation of single-crystalline nanowires. |
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| Bibliography: | Kostya (Ken) Ostrikov is CEO Science Leader and a founding leader of the Plasma Nanoscience Center Australia at CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering. His achievements include 270 refereed journal papers, more than 80 plenary, keynote, and invited talks at international conferences. His main research program on nanoscale control of energy and matter in plasma-surface interactions contributes to the solution of the grand and as-yet-unresolved challenge of directing energy and matter at the nanoscale, a challenge that is critical for the development of renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies for a sustainable future. Uros Cvelbar received his BSc degree in Physics (in 2000) and his PhD degree in Material Science and Plasma Technologies (in 2005) from the University of Ljubljana. He teaches in several European Universities and is Senior Research Scientist at the Jozef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia. His bibliography includes 12 patents, and more than 70 scientific papers published in international journals. His scientific research interests cover areas from material science to plasma technologies including nanotechnology, nanofabrication, nanostructures and their applications. Miran Mozetic received his BSc in physics from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 1988, and his PhD degree from the University of Maribor, Slovenia, in 1997. Since 2009 he has been the Head of Department of Surface Engineering and Optoelectronics at the Jozef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana and Professor of plasma technology at the JS International Postgraduate School. He is the author of more than 130 scientific papers, and over 10 patents. His main research interests concern the study and development of plasma sources as well as interaction of non-equilibrium plasma with solid materials. Igor Levchenko is a CSIRO CEO Science Leader Senior Research Scientist and Team Leader of the Plasma Nanoscience group. He received his MSc and PhD degrees from the National Airspace University, Ukraine, in 1989 and 1996, respectively. Over the past ten years, he has published over 60 papers in refereed international journals. His research interests include experimental and theoretical nanoscience, nanofabrication (carbon nanotubes, graphene, nanowires, nanodot arrays, semiconductor solar cells), surface science, materials science, and plasma physics. Mahendra Sunkara, is a professor in the Chemical Engineering Department and Interim Director of Conn Center for Renewable Energy. He received his BTech, MSc and PhD degrees from Andhra University (India) in 1986, Clarkson University in 1988 and Case Western Reserve University in 1993, respectively. He has published over 100 articles in refereed journals and holds five US patents. He received the NSF CAREER Award in 1999 and the distinction of top 25 young guns in Louisville by Louisville Magazine. His main interests involve diamond, gallium nitride, nanowires and other nanoscale materials as well as their applications. ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-2 ObjectType-Feature-1 |
| ISSN: | 2040-3364 2040-3372 |
| DOI: | 10.1039/c0nr00366b |