Synthesis of ultra-long aluminum nitride nanowires with excellent photoluminescent property by aluminum chloride assisted chemical vapor reaction technique

Abstract

Abstract Aluminum nitride (AlN) nanowires were performed on iron substrate using aluminum powders as material precursor by anhydrous aluminum chloride (AlCl3) assisted chemical vapor reaction (CVR) method. Yield production of AlN nanowires was significantly enhanced with AlCl3 addition into Al powders due to generating of intermediate gaseous AlCl, which further reacted with N2 to form AlN nanowires. With AlCl3 addition, a thin Fe film on Fe substrate can be transformed into Fe nanoparticles, which served as a catalyst in promoting the formation of AlN nanowires. The length of single-crystalline AlN nanowires was up to hundreds of microns. The formation and growth of AlN nanowires were most likely controlled by vapor–liquid–solid growth mechanism and AlCl3 assisted chemical vapor transport mechanism. The luminescence bands in the range of violet-green luminescence suggest its promising application in light-emitting devices.