Sn-doped bismuth telluride nanowires with high conductivity.

Bismuth telluride (Bi(2)Te(3)) nanowires with sub-100 nm diameters were synthesized by Au-Sn co-catalyzed chemical vapor deposition. These Bi(2)Te(3) 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 Bi(2)Te(3) bulk materials, the Bi(2)Te(3) nanowires displayed an A(1u) spectral peak, implying the breaking of symmetry. The temperature-dependent electrical measurement indicated that these Sn-doped Bi(2)Te(3) nanowires were metallic, with a high conductivity of 1.6 × 10(5) S m(-1) at 300 K.