Sn-doped bismuth telluride nanowires with high conductivity

Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) nanowires with sub-100 nm diameters were synthesized by Au-Sn co-catalyzed chemical vapor deposition. These Bi2Te3 nanowires were single crystals with a hexagonal lattice. The Sn catalyst played a key role in achieving the one-dimensional nanowire structures, while the absence of Sn resulted in other morphologies such as nanoplates, nanooctahedrons and nanospheres. Raman spectra revealed that compared to the Bi2Te3 bulk materials, the Bi2Te3 nanowires displayed an A(1u) spectral peak, implying the breaking of symmetry. The temperature-dependent electrical measurement indicated that these Sn-doped Bi2Te3 nanowires were metallic, with a high conductivity of 1.6 x 10(5) S m(-1) at 300 K.