An approach to fabricate nanomaterials using a closed low-temperature growth system

Abstract

This work presents a method for fabricating metallic nanostructures and metal oxides using a closed, low-temperature growth system. The technique uses vacuum thermal evaporation, enabling nanostructure formation under controlled conditions. The growth system features a double-crucible arrangement within a vacuum chamber, allowing precise control of deposition parameters such as temperature, time, and pressure. This innovative approach has successfully produced a variety of nanostructures, including nanoparticles, nanowires, and nanotowers, with materials such as Au, Ge, and Al and oxides such as SnO₂, ZnO, and Al₂O₃. The results emphasize the critical role of substrate temperature in determining the morphology and size of nanostructures, with particular attention paid to the ratio of substrate temperature to the melting point of the fabricated nanomaterial. The work finds that this ratio significantly influences whether the resulting nanostructures form nanoparticles, nanowires, or more complex shapes. Characterization techniques, including field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), confirm the successful fabrication and crystallization of the nanostructures. The ability of the method to control the formation of nanostructures through simple modifications of experimental parameters makes it a promising approach for producing tailor-made nanomaterials for various technological applications.