Room Temperature Sensing Achieved by GaAs Nanowires and oCVD Polymer Coating.

Novel structures comprised of GaAs nanowire arrays conformally coated with conducting polymers (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) or poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene-co-3-thiophene acetic acid) display both sensitivity and selectivity to a variety of volatile organic chemicals. A key feature is room temperature operation, so that neither a heater nor the power it would consume, is required. It is a distinct difference from traditional metal oxide sensors, which typically require elevated operational temperature.

Mapping of Strain Fields in GaAs/GaAsP Core-Shell Nanowires with Nanometer Resolution.

We report the nanoscale quantification of strain in GaAs/GaAsP core-shell nanowires. By tracking the shifting of higher-order Laue zone (HOLZ) lines in convergent beam electron diffraction patterns, we observe unique variations in HOLZ line separation along different facets of the core-shell structure, demonstrating the nonuniform strain fields created by the heterointerface. Furthermore, through the use of continuum mechanical modeling and Bloch wave analysis we calculate expected HOLZ line shift behavior, which are directly matched to experimental results.

Impact of nucleation conditions on diameter modulation of GaAs nanowires.

Diameter-modulated nanowires can be used to impart unique properties to nanowire-based devices. Here, diameter modulation along Au-seeded GaAs nanowires was achieved by varying the flux of the III and V precursors during growth. Furthermore, three different types of [111]B-oriented nanowires were observed to display distinct differences in diameter modulation, growth rate, and cross-sectional shape.