Controlled carbon nanotube sheathing on ultrafine InP nanowires

Controlled carbon nanotube sheathing on ultrafine InP nanowires has been realized through a simple vapor-solid process. The synthesized InP-C nanocables were composed of crystalline InP core about 13-15 nm in diameter and parallel carbon sheath layers about several nanometers in thickness. The growth of the C layers takes place via a layer-by-layer process. The carbon tube sheathing can be controlled from several to more than 10 parallel layers by adjusting the deposition time. Both the carbon tube sheath and InP nanowire core show a higher degree of crystalline perfection. Graphitic carbon could act as chemically inert protecting layers for the ultrafine InP nanowires. This method could be applied to a wide range of materials and result in various hetrostructures, which may serve as potential building blocks in various nanodevices. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.