One-dimensional nanostructures by pulsed laser ablation

One-dimensional (1D) nanostructures represent a unique system for investigating phenomena at the nanoscale and are also expected to play a critical role as both interconnects and functional components in the fabrication of nanoscale electronic devices. Pulsed laser can provide extremely intense energy in a small spot and it can ablate virtually any materials. Various nanostructures have been investigated and fabricated with pulsed laser ablation, and this technique is not limited by the type of materials or crystal structures. This article focuses on 1D nanostructures and presents an overview of the common growth mechanism of nanowires by pulsed laser ablation. We first introduce a general scheme of the pulsed laser ablation in a tube furnace for the nanowire growth. Subsequently, we discuss various growth mechanisms involved to generate 1D nanostructures from pulsed laser ablation, including vapor-liquid-solid growth, oxide-assisted growth, and vapor-solid growth. Defects can also play an important role and they have been observed in the nanowires from different growth process.