Growth of Crystalline Copper Silicide Nanowires in High Yield within a High Boiling Point Solvent System

Here, we report the formation of high density arrays of Cu15Si4 nanowires using a high boiling point organic solvent based method. The reactions were carried out using Cu foil substrates as the Cu source with nanowire growth dependent upon the prior formation of Cu15Si4 crystallites on the surface. The method shows that simple Si delivery to metal foil can be used to grow high densities of silicide nanowires with a tight diameter spread at reaction temperatures of 460 °C. The nanowires were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and electrical analysis showed that they possess low resistivities.