Electronic Structure Control of Sub-Nanometer 1D SnTe via Nanostructuring within Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Andrij Vasylenko, Samuel Marks, Jamie M. Wynn, Paulo V.C. Medeiros, Quentin M. Ramasse, Andrew J. Morris, Jeremy Sloan, David Quigley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Citations (Scopus)
234 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Nanostructuring, e.g. reduction of dimensionality in materials offers a viable route towards regulation of materials electronic and hence functional properties. Here, we present the extreme case of nanostructuring, exploiting capillarity of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) for synthesis of the smallest possible SnTe nanowires with cross sections as small as a single atom column. We demonstrate that by choosing the appropriate diameter of a template SWCNT, we can manipulate the structure of the quasi-one-dimensional (1D) SnTe and to design electronic behaviour. From first principles, we predict structural reformations SnTe undergoes in varying encapsulation and confront the prediction with TEM imagery. To further illustrate the control of physical properties by nanostructuring we study the evolution of transport properties in a homologous series of models of synthesised and isolated SnTe nanowires varying only by morphology and atomic layer thickness. This extreme scaling is predicted to significantly enhance thermoelectric performance of SnTe, offering a prospect for further experimental studies and future applications. KEYWORDS: nanostructuring, nanowires, encapsulation, carbon nanotubes, crystal structure prediction, transport, thermoelectrics.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6023-6031
Number of pages9
JournalACS Nano
Volume12
Issue number6
Early online date21 May 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 26 Jun 2018

Keywords

  • carbon nanotubes
  • crystal structure prediction
  • encapsulation
  • nanostructuring
  • nanowires
  • thermoelectrics
  • transport

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Materials Science(all)
  • Engineering(all)
  • Physics and Astronomy(all)

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