nn5b05851_si_002.avi (2.98 MB)
Atomic-Scale Observation of Vapor–Solid Nanowire Growth via Oscillatory Mass Transport
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posted on 2016-01-26, 00:00 authored by Zhengfei Zhang, Yong Wang, Hengbo Li, Wentao Yuan, Xiaofeng Zhang, Chenghua Sun, Ze ZhangIn situ atomic-scale
transmission electron microscopy
(TEM) can provide critical information regarding growth dynamics and
kinetics of nanowires. A catalyst-aided nanowire growth mechanism
has been well-demonstrated by this method. By contrast, the growth
mechanism of nanowires without catalyst remains elusive because of
a lack of crucial information on related growth dynamics at the atomic
level. Herein, we present a real-time atomic-scale observation of
the growth of tungsten oxide nanowires through an environmental TEM.
Our results unambiguously demonstrate that the vapor–solid
mechanism dominates the nanowire growth, and the oscillatory mass
transport on the nanowire tip maintains the noncatalytic growth. Autocorrelation
analysis indicates that adjacent nucleation events in the nanowire
growth are independent of each other. These findings may improve the
understanding of the vapor–solid growth mechanism of nanowires.