Fundamental Investigation and Development of Screw Dislocation-Driven Nanowire Growth

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TECHNICAL SUMMARY:This project supported by Solid State and Materials Chemistry Program seeks to develop the rational design and synthesis of one-dimensional (1D) nanowire materials whose growth is driven by screw dislocations and to investigate their fundamental characteristics. Nanowires and other 1D nanomaterials possess interesting properties that have already found many applications in nanoelectronics, nanophotonics, solar energy conversion, thermoelectrics, and energy storage. Professor Song Jin and his students had discovered a nanowire growth mechanism completely different from the traditional metal-catalyzed nanowire growth, in which axial screw dislocations drive the anisotropic 1D crystal growth and enable the formation of 1D nanostructures. Bridging classical crystal growth theories with modern nanomaterial synthesis, this project focuses on the fundamental investigation and development of screw dislocation-driven nanowire growth to extend its generality among diverse materials, demonstrate the versatility in creating more complex nanostructures, scale up the solution catalyst-free growth of nanowires, and understand the physical properties of dislocation-driven nanowires. This understanding will create a new dimension in the rational design and synthesis of 1D nanomaterials and enable exploitation of a catalyst-free growth mechanism for large scale/low cost solution growth of 1D nanomaterials for diverse applications. NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:Nanowires and other one-dimensional (1D) nanomaterials have significant applications in nanoelectronics, nanophotonics, solar energy conversion, thermoelectrics, and energy storage. Professor Song Jin and his students had discovered a different way of synthesizing nanowire materials that are driven by screw dislocation defects. This new mechanism of nanowire growth will be studied and further developed so that its significant advantages can be rationally exploited to open up a new dimension in the synthesis of 1D nanomaterials, especially for large scale and low cost solution growth. The proposed research can potentially have transformative impacts on the rational synthesis of 1D nanomaterials that will enable a variety of large scale applications of these materials, such as in renewable energy. Furthermore, education and outreach will be integrated with active research in this project by recruiting underrepresented undergraduate students to participate in nanomaterial research, by developing new modules for a web course on nanoscience and nanotechnology, and by further developing a nanoscience workshop for high school students and teachers.