Growth and characterization of germanium nanowires on a flexible aluminium substrate by electron beam evaporation

For the first time, Germanium (Ge) nanowires have been grown on a gold (Au) coated flexible aluminum (Al) foil substrate in high vacuum (1 × 10−5 mbar) by electron-beam evaporation of germanium using the vapor–liquid–solid mechanism at a substrate temperature of 380°C. The grown nanowires have been analyzed for their structural, morphological and chemical properties by employing standard techniques X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. X-ray diffraction measurements revealed the formation of cubic Ge phase highly oriented in (111) reflection in plane with the Al foil substrate. The morphological observations by SEM have shown the randomly grown nanowires with an average length and diameter of 600 ± 50 and 100 ± 10 nm, respectively, for a deposition time of 30 min. TEM investigation revealed single crystalline nanowires with free of defects. The wettability studies by contact angle measurement have confirmed the hydrophobic nature of the Ge NWs film surface with contact angle for water 110° ± 1°. The growth mechanism of Ge nanowires on Al foil substrate has also been discussed. © 2011, The Author(s).