Synthesis of single-crystalline NiCx nanorods by pulsed laser deposition accompanied by N2 annealing

•NiCx nanorods were firstly synthesized by PLD accompanied by N2 annealing.•Morphology, crystallinity, composition and growth mode were studied.•The as-synthesized NiCx nanorod thin films can have about 98% visible-light transmittance.

By the method of pulsed laser deposition accompanied by annealing in N2 environment, single-crystalline NiCx nanorods (NCNRs) were first synthesized on C/Ni-coated quartz substrates. Field emission scanning electron microscopy images show that the densely and uniformly distributed NCNRs were synthesized on quartz substrates at the temperature of 1000–1250 °C and the optimum annealing temperature for their growth is 1200 °C. The results of transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction show that the grown NCNRs are single-crystalline hexagonal NiCx. The analyses of energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy reveal that the NCNRs are grown by the Ni-leading vapor–liquid–solid mode. Transmission spectra demonstrate that the as-grown NCNR thin films can have about 98% visible-light transmittance and are candidates for transparent electrodes in thin film solar cells or photoelectric sensors.

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