The fundamental understanding of transition metal oxides nanowires’ crystal growth to control their anisotropy is critical for their applications in miniature devices. However, such studies are still in the premature stage. From an industrial point of view, the most exciting and challenging area of devices today is having the balance between the performance and the cost. Accordingly, it is essential to pay attention to the controlled cost-effective and greener synthesis of ultrathin TMOS NWs for industrial optoelectronic applications. This chapter provides a comprehensive summary of fundamental principles on the preperation methods to make dimensionality controlled anisotropic nanowires, their crystal growth studies, and optical and electrical properties. The chapter particularly addresses the governing theories of crystal growth processes and kinetics that controls the anisotropy and dimensions of nanowires. Focusing on the oriented attachment (OA) mechanism, the chapter describes the OA mechanism, nanocrystal’s self-assembly, interparticle interactions, and OA-directed crystal growth to improve the state-of-the art kinetic models. Finally, we provide the future perspective of ultrathin TMOS NWs by addressing their current challenges in optoelectronic applications. It is our understanding that the dimension, and single crystallinity of nanowires are the main contributors for building all functional properties, which arise from quasi-1-D confinement of nanowire growth.
A Mechanistic Understanding of Non-Classical Crystal Growth in Hydrothermally Synthesized Sodium Yttrium Fluoride Nanowires
