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