Due to the large Fermi wavelength (Fermi~40 nm) and mean free path of charge carriers and phonons (le and lph ~100 nm, respectively) in antimony at room tempearture, the influence of size-effects on the transport properties can be observed on nanowires of rather large diameters. This makes them an excellent model system to investigate the interplay of various size-dependent transport phenomena relevant for applications in, for example, nanoelectronics and thermoelectrics. [1-3]
Their physical and transport properties are strongly determined by the structure, geometrical shape and morphology of the nanowires. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to control and tailor these parameters. This is enabled by the template method and in particular, in this work, by electrodeposition in the nanochannels of polymer ion track-etched membranes.
This talk will illustrate the influence of the addition of surfactants to SbCl3-based electrolytes on the potentiostatic electrodeposition process and on the nanowires crystallographic properties. The morphology and crystalline structure of the nanowires are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The results confirm the influence of surfactant concentration and surfactant type on the crystallinity and morphology of cylindrical antimony nanowire arrays.