Fast growth of branched nickel monosilicide nanowires by laser-assisted chemical vapordeposition

Abstract

Branched nickel monosilicide (NiSi) nanowires (NWs), for the first time,have been synthesized on Ni foams by laser-assisted chemical vapordeposition using disilane precursor molecules. Studies indicate that600 °C is the threshold temperature for the growth of a large number of branched NiSi NWs with100–500 nm long branches extending from the main stems. Below the threshold temperature,unbranched NiSi NWs were obtained. The density of the branched NiSi NWs is relatively higherin comparison to that of the unbranched ones. The growth rate of the branched NiSi NWs at700 °C is estimatedup to 10 µm min − 1. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-rayspectroscopy of the branched NiSi NWs suggest that the formation of these branchednanostructures is ascribed to the Ni-dominant diffusion process. These NiSi NWs withbranched nanostructures could bring them new opportunities in nanodevices.