Single-crystalline Bi2Se3 nanowires grown by catalyst-free ambient pressure chemical vapor deposition

• Bi2Se3 nanowires were synthesized by catalyst-free chemical vapor deposition.
• The Bi2Se3 nanowires are well-crystllized single crystals with length up to 50 µm.
• The Bi2Se3 nanowires were characterized and the growth mechanism was discussed.

Bi2Se3 nanostructures are very promising in the thermoelectrics, optics and electronics. In the letter, Bi2Se3 single-crystal nanowires (NWs) were successfully synthesized via catalyst-free ambient pressure chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using high purity Bi2Se3 powder as the source material. The morphology, microstructure and chemical compositions of the prepared Bi2Se3 NWs were characterized in details. The results reveal that the NWs have well-crystallized rhombohedral structure with smooth surface and their length can be up to 50 µm. The growth direction of the NWs is along [110] direction and the growth mechanism is discussed. The high-quality Bi2Se3 NWs have potential applications in thermoelectric, optical and electronic devices. The present method could be extended to synthesize NWs of other layer-structured materials.