Effect of cooling time on the vapor liquid solid based growth of gold-catalyzed bismuth nanorods

Deposition of single crystalline bismuth nanorods (Bi NRs) using a thermal evaporation method through vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism is reported here and the effect of sample cooling time on the growth of Bi NRs is investigated. Deposited Bi NRs have diameters varying from 100 to 400 nm and lengths extending to ∼3 μm in the (012) growth direction. Morphological observation indicated that the length and density of Bi NRs are strongly coupled with prolonged cooling time. A growth mechanism is suggested and discussed to describe the growth of single crystalline Bi NRs based on the morphological observations as a function of cooling temperature and time.