Formation of ZnTe nanowires by oriented attachment

The formation of ZnTe nanowires by oriented attachment were analyzed. Zinc oxide, phenyl ether, myristic acid and hexadecylamine were mixed and heated to 250°C for 15-20 min under argon. Two milliliters of (trioctyiphosphine)Te solution was then rapidly injected into the hot mixture. The resulting light yellow-orange solution was held at 250°C for 6-8 min before being gradually cooled to the room temperature. The ZnTe nanowires were precipitated by addition of chloroform followed by centrifugation. It was found that relatively short-chain-length carboxylic acids such as myristic acid were more effective than longer-chain carboxylic acids for dissolving the ZnO in phenyl ether in the presence of hexadecylamine. The nanowires had brushlike appearance with numerous bristles covering the surface of the wires. Results show that brushlike nanowires are composed of a core of well-aligned material upon which additional small particles have deposited with much reduced alignment.