Issue 20, 2013

Solution-phase synthesis of single-crystal Cu3Si nanowire arrays on diverse substrates with dual functions as high-performance field emitters and efficient anti-reflective layers

Abstract

There is strong and growing interest in applying metal silicide nanowires as building blocks for a new class of silicide-based applications, including spintronics, nano-scale interconnects, thermoelectronics, and anti-reflective coating materials. Solution-phase environments provide versatile materials chemistry as well as significantly lower production costs compared to gas-phase synthesis. However, solution-phase synthesis of silicide nanowires remains challenging due to the lack of fundamental understanding of silicidation reactions. In this study, single-crystalline Cu3Si nanowire arrays were synthesized in an organic solvent. Self-catalyzed, dense single-crystalline Cu3Si nanowire arrays were synthesized by thermal decomposition of monophenylsilane in the presence of copper films or copper substrates at 420 to 475 °C and 10.3 MPa in supercritical benzene. The solution-grown Cu3Si nanowire arrays serve dual functions as field emitters and anti-reflective layers, which are reported on copper silicide materials for the first time. Cu3Si nanowires exhibit superior field-emission properties, with a turn-on-voltage as low as 1.16 V μm−1, an emission current density of 8 mA cm−2 at 4.9 V μm−1, and a field enhancement factor (β) of 1500. Cu3Si nanowire arrays appear black with optical absorption less than 5% between 400 and 800 nm with minimal reflectance, serving as highly efficient anti-reflective layers. Moreover, the Cu3Si nanowires could be grown on either rigid or flexible substrates (PI). This study shows that solution-phase silicide reactions are adaptable for high-quality silicide nanowire growth and demonstrates their promise towards fabrication of metal silicide-based devices.

Graphical abstract: Solution-phase synthesis of single-crystal Cu3Si nanowire arrays on diverse substrates with dual functions as high-performance field emitters and efficient anti-reflective layers

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
13 Jun 2013
Accepted
26 Jul 2013
First published
02 Aug 2013

Nanoscale, 2013,5, 9875-9881

Solution-phase synthesis of single-crystal Cu3Si nanowire arrays on diverse substrates with dual functions as high-performance field emitters and efficient anti-reflective layers

F. Yuan, C. Wang, G. Li, S. Chang, L. Chu, L. Chen and H. Tuan, Nanoscale, 2013, 5, 9875 DOI: 10.1039/C3NR03045H

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