Single-crystal semiconducting chromium disilicide nanowires synthesized via chemical vapor transport

Single-crystal CrSi2 nanowires were synthesized for the first time by a chemical vapor transport (CVT) method, using CrSi2 powder as the source material and iodine as the transport reagent. Structural characterization using electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, and energy dispersive spectroscopy shows that these nanowires are hexagonal CrSi2 single-crystal structures along the < 001 > growth axis, with diameters ranging from 20 to 300 nm and length up to 100 mu m. Two-terminal electrical transport measurements show that these NWs have an estimated average resistivity of 4.4 x 10(-3) Omega cm and behave like a degenerate semiconductor. These novel semiconducting silicide nanowires will be useful for optoelectronic and thermoelectric applications. The reported CVT method can be general for the chemical synthesis of other metal silicides.