Synthesis and structural property of Si nanosheets connected to Si nanowires using MnCl2/Si powder source

•New Si nanosheets connected to Si nanowires were synthesized using MnCl2/Si powders.•The synthesis method has benefits in terms of avoiding air sensitive SiH4 or SiCl4.•Structural property and electron diffraction of the Si nanosheets were clarified.•Odd lattice fringes of the Si nanosheets observed by HRTEM were clearly explained.

Si nanosheets connected to Si nanowires were synthesized using a MnCl2/Si powder source with an Au catalyst. The synthesis method has benefits in terms of avoiding conventionally used air-sensitive SiH4 or SiCl4. The existence of the Si nanosheets connected to the Si<111> nanowires, like sprouts or leaves with petioles, was observed, and the surface of the nanosheets was Si{111}. The nanosheets were grown in the growth direction of <211> perpendicular to that of the Si nanowires. It was evident from these structural features of the nanosheets that the nanosheets were formed by the twin-plane reentrant-edge mechanism. The feature of the observed lattice fringes, which do not appear for Si bulk crystals, of the Si(111) nanosheets obtained by high resolution transmission electron microscopy was clearly explained due to the extra diffraction spots that arose by the reciprocal lattice streaking effect.

Graphical abstractSi nanosheets connected to Si nanowires synthesized using a MnCl2/Si powder source with an Au catalyst avoid the use of air-sensitive SiH4 or SiCl4. It was evident from these structural features of the nanosheets (leaf blade) with nanowires (petiole) that the nanosheets were formed by the twin-plane reentrant-edge mechanism. The feature of the observed lattice fringes of the Si(111) nanosheets was clearly explained by the interference with the extra diffraction spots that arose due to the reciprocal lattice streaking effect.Download high-res image (407KB)Download full-size image