Title
Nanotip Formation from Liquid Metals for Soft Electronic Junctions
Date Issued
15 September 2021
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Allioux F.M.
Han J.
Tang J.
Merhebi S.
Cai S.
Tang J.
Abbasi R.
Mousavi M.
Zhang C.
Xie W.
Mayyas M.
Rahim M.A.
Ghasemian M.B.
Kalantar-Zadeh K.
University of New South Wales
Publisher(s)
American Chemical Society
Abstract
Liquid metals and alloys with high-aspect-ratio nanodimensional features are highly sought-after for emerging electronic applications. However, high surface tension, water-like fluidity, and the existence of self-limiting oxides confer specific peculiarities to their characteristics. Here, we introduce a high accuracy nanometric three-dimensional pulling and stretching method to fabricate liquid-metal-based nanotips from room- or near-room-temperature gallium-based alloys. The pulling rate and step size were controlled with a resolution of up to 10 nm and yielded different nanotip morphologies and lengths as a function of the base liquid metal alloy composition and the pulling parameters. The obtained nanotips presented high aspect ratios over lengths of a few microns and apexes between 10 and 100 nm. The liquid metal alloys were found confined within nanotips with about 10 nm apexes when vertically pulled at 100 nm/s. An amorphous gallium oxide skin was shown to cover the surface of the nanotips, while the liquid core was composed of the initial liquid metal alloys. The electrical contact established at the nanotips was characterized under dynamic conditions. The liquid metal nanotips showed an Ohmic resistance when a continuous liquid metal channel was formed, and a controllable semiconductor state corresponding to a heterojunction formed at the junction between the liquid metal phase and the gallium oxide semiconductor skin. The variable threshold voltages of the heterojunction were controlled via stretching of the nanotips with a 10 nm step resolution. The liquid metal nanotips were also used for establishing soft electronic junctions. This novel method of liquid metal nanotip fabrication with Ohmic and semiconducting behaviors will lead to exciting avenues for developing electronic and sensing devices.
Start page
43247
End page
43257
Volume
13
Issue
36
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Recubrimiento, Películas
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85114603779
PubMed ID
Source
ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
ISSN of the container
19448244
Sponsor(s)
Australian Research Council (ARC) Laureate Fellowship grant (FL180100053).
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus