Formation of bismuth oxide nanowires by simultaneous templating and electrochemical adhesion of DNA on Si/SiO2

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-templated growth of Bi/Bi2O3 nanowires attached to the Si surface was obtained by electrochemical reduction of Bi(III) at an n-type Si electrode in aqueous Bi(NO3)3/HNO3 at pH 2.5 with calf thymus DNA. The nanowires had a mean diameter of 5 nm and a range of lengths from 1.4 μm to 6.1 μm. The composition and structure of the wires were determined by atomic force microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. The dominant component of the material is Bi2O3 owing to the rapid re-oxidation of nanoscale Bi in the presence of air and water. Our method has the potential to construct complex architectures of Bi/Bi2O3 nanostrucures on high quality Si substrates.

► We have developed an electrochemical method to grow Bi/Bi2O3 nanowires on silicon.
► Bi/Bi2O3 nanowires are templated by deoxyribonucleic acid molecules.
► The procedure also adheres the nanowires to the electrode for characterization.