Diameter Tuning of β-Ga2O3 Nanowires Using Chemical Vapor Deposition Technique

Nanomaterials photocatalytic activities for waste water treatment: a review

Water is necessary for the survival of life on Earth. A wide range of pollutants has contaminated water resources in the last few decades. The presence of contaminants incredibly different dyes in waste, potable, and surface water is hazardous to environmental and human health. Different types of dyes are the principal contaminants in water that need sudden attention because of their widespread domestic and industrial use. The toxic effects of these dyes and their ability to resist traditional water treatment procedures have inspired the researcher to develop an eco-friendly method that could effectively and efficiently degrade these toxic contaminants. Here, in this review, we explored the effective and economical methods of metal-based nanomaterials photocatalytic degradation for successfully removing dyes from wastewater. This study provides a tool for protecting the environment and human health. In addition, the insights into the transformation of solar energy for photocatalytic reduction of toxic metal ions and photocatalytic degradation of dyes contaminated wastewater will open a gate for water treatment research. The mechanism of photocatalytic degradation and the parameters that affect the photocatalytic activities of various photocatalysts have also been reported.

β-Ga2O3 Nanostructures: Chemical Vapor Deposition Growth Using Thermally Dewetted Au Nanoparticles as Catalyst and Characterization

β-Ga2O3 nanostructures, including nanowires (NWs), nanosheets (NSHs), and nanorods (NRs), were synthesized using thermally dewetted Au nanoparticles as catalyst in a chemical vapor deposition process. The morphology of the as-grown β-Ga2O3 nanostructures depends strongly on the growth temperature and time. Successful growth of β-Ga2O3 NWs with lengths of 7–25 μm, NSHs, and NRs was achieved. It has been demonstrated that the vapor–liquid–solid mechanism governs the NW growth, and the vapor–solid mechanism occurs in the growth of NSHs and NRs. The X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the as-grown nanostructures were highly pure single-phase β-Ga2O3. The bandgap of the β-Ga2O3 nanostructures was determined to lie in the range of 4.68–4.74 eV. Characteristic Raman peaks were observed with a small blue and red shift, both of 1–3 cm−1, as compared with those from the bulk, indicating the presence of internal strain and defects in the as-grown β-Ga2O3 nanostructures. Strong photoluminescence emission in the UV-blue spectral region was obtained in the β-Ga2O3 nanostructures, regardless of their morphology. The UV (374–377 nm) emission is due to the intrinsic radiative recombination of self-trapped excitons present at the band edge. The strong blue (404–490 nm) emissions, consisting of five bands, are attributed to the presence of the complex defect states in the donor (VO) and acceptor (VGa or VGa–O). These β-Ga2O3 nanostructures are expected to have potential applications in optoelectronic devices such as tunable UV–Vis photodetectors.

Self-catalyst β-Ga2O3 semiconductor lateral nanowire networks synthesis on the insulating substrate for deep ultraviolet photodetectors

Monoclinic gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) is a super-wide bandgap semiconductor with excellent chemical and thermal stability, which is an ideal candidate for detecting deep ultraviolet (DUV) radiation (100-280 nm). The growth of β-Ga2O3 is challenging and most methods require Au as the catalyst and a long reacting time (more than 1 hour). In this work, the self-catalyst β-Ga2O3 lateral nanowire networks were synthesized on an insulating substrate rapidly by a simple low-cost Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) method. A thin film of β-Ga2O3 nanowire networks was synthesized within a reacting time of 15 minutes, which possesses a huge possibility for the rapid growth of β-Ga2O3 metal oxide nanowires networks and application in the future solar-blind photodetector. MSM (metal-semiconductor-metal) photodetectors based on the β-Ga2O3 nanowire networks revealed fast response (on-off ratios is about 103), which is attributed to the unique cross-junction barrier-dominated conductance of the nanowire networks. In addition, the self-catalyst β-Ga2O3 nanowires grown on insulating SiO2 are achieved and could be expected to find important applications in a bottom-up way of fabricating the next generation semiconductor nanoelectronics.

Morphology of Ga2O3 Nanowires and Their Sensitivity to Volatile Organic Compounds

Gas sensitive structures made of nanowires exhibit extremally large specific surface area, and a great number of chemically active centres that can react with the ambient atmosphere. This makes the use of nanomaterials promising for super sensitive gas sensor applications. Monoclinic β-Ga₂O₃ nanowires (NWs) were synthesized from metallic gallium at atmospheric pressure in the presence of nitrogen and water vapor. The nanowires were grown directly on interdigitated gold electrodes screen printed on Al₂O₃ substrates, which constituted the gas sensor structure. The observations made with transmission electron microscope (TEM) have shown that the nanowires are monocrystalline and their diameters vary from 80 to 300 nm with the average value of approximately 170 nm. Au droplets were found to be anchored at the tips of the nanowires which may indicate that the nanowires followed the Vapor-Liquid-Solid (VLS) mechanism of growth. The conductivity of β-Ga₂O₃ NWs increases in the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOC) even in the temperature below 600 °C. The gas sensor based on the synthesized β-Ga₂O₃ NWs shows peak sensitivity to 100 ppm of ethanol of 75.1 at 760 °C, while peak sensitivity to 100 ppm of acetone is 27.5 at 690 °C.

Gallium oxide nanowires for UV detection with enhanced growth and material properties

In the last decade, interest in the use of beta gallium oxide (β-Ga₂O₃) as a semiconductor for high power/high temperature devices and deep-UV sensors has grown. Ga₂O₃ has an enormous band gap of 4.8 eV, which makes it well suited for these applications. Compared to thin films, nanowires exhibit a higher surface-to-volume ratio, increasing their sensitivity for detection of chemical substances and light. In this work, we explore a simple and inexpensive method of growing high-density gallium oxide nanowires at high temperatures. Gallium oxide nanowire growth can be achieved by heating and oxidizing pure gallium at high temperatures (~ 1000 °C) in the presence of trace amounts of oxygen. This process can be optimized to large-scale production to grow high-quality, dense and long Ga₂O₃ nanowires. We show the results of morphological, structural, electrical and optical characterization of the β-Ga₂O₃ nanowires including the optical bandgap and photoconductance. The influence of density on these Ga₂O₃ nanowires and their properties will be examined in order to determine the optimum configuration for the detection of UV light.

Influence of Silver as a Catalyst on the Growth of β-Ga2O3 Nanowires on GaAs

A simple and inexpensive thermal oxidation process was performed to synthesize gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) nanowires using Ag thin film as a catalyst at 800 °C and 1000 °C to understand the effect of the silver catalyst on the nanowire growth. The effect of doping and orientation of the substrates on the growth of Ga₂O₃ nanowires on single-crystal gallium arsenide (GaAs) wafers in atmosphere were investigated. A comprehensive study of the oxide film and nanowire growth was performed using various characterization techniques including XRD, SEM, EDS, focused ion beam (FIB), XPS and STEM. Based on the characterization results, we believe that Ag thin film produces Ag nanoparticles at high temperatures and enhances the reaction between oxygen and gallium, contributing to denser and longer Ga₂O₃ nanowires compared to those grown without silver catalyst. This process can be optimized for large-scale production of high-quality, dense, and long nanowires.

The toxicology of gallium oxide in comparison with gallium arsenide and indium oxide

Gallium arsenide (GaAs) and indium oxide (In₂O₃) are used in electronic industries at high and increasing tonnages since decades. Gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) is an emerging wide-bandgap transparent conductive oxide with as yet little industrial use. Since GaAs has received critical attention due to the arsenic ion, it seemed reasonable to compare its toxicology with the respective endpoints of Ga₂O₃ and In₂O₃ toxicology in order to find out if and to what extent arsenic contributes. In addition, the toxicology of Ga₂O₃ has not yet been adequately reviewed, Therefore, this review provides the first evaluation of all available toxicity data on Ga₂O₃. The acute toxicity of all three compounds is rather low. Subchronic inhalation studies in rats and mice revealed persistent pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) and/or alveolar histiocytic infiltrates down to the lowest tested concentration in rats and mice, i.e. 0.16 mg Ga₂O₃/m³. These are also the predominant effects after GaAs and In₂O₃ exposure at similarly low levels, i.e. 0.1 mg/m³ each. Subchronic Ga₂O₃ exposure caused a minimal microcytic anemia with erythrocytosis in rats (at 6.4 mg/m³ and greater) and mice (at 32 and 64 mg/m³), a decrease in epididymal sperm motility and concentration as well as testicular degeneration at 64 mg/m³. At comparable concentrations the hematological effects and male fertility of GaAs were much stronger. The stronger effects of GaAs are due to its better solubility and presumed higher bioavailability. The database for In₂O₃ is too small and subchronic testing was at very low levels to allow conclusive judgements if blood/blood forming or degrading and male fertility organs/tissues would also be targets.

Catalyst-Assisted Large-Area Growth of Single-Crystal β-Ga2O3 Nanowires on Sapphire Substrates by Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition

In this work, we have achieved synthesizing large-area high-density β-Ga₂O₃ nanowires on c-plane sapphire substrate by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition assisted with Au nanocrystal seeds as catalysts. These nanowires exhibit one-dimensional structures with Au nanoparticles on the top of the nanowires with lengths exceeding 6 μm and diameters ranging from ~50 to ~200 nm. The β-Ga₂O₃ nanowires consist of a single-crystal monoclinic structure, which exhibits strong (2¯01) orientation, confirmed by transmission electronic microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. The PL spectrum obtained from these β-Ga₂O₃ nanowires exhibits strong emissions centered at ~360 and ~410 nm, respectively. The energy band gap of the β-Ga₂O₃ nanowires is estimated to be ~4.7 eV based on an optical transmission test. A possible mechanism for the growth of β-Ga₂O₃ nanowires is also presented.

Self-catalyzed metal organic chemical vapor deposition growth of vertical β-Ga2O3 nanowire arrays

Self-catalyzed metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) growth of Ga₂O₃ nanowires on GaN layers prepared on a sapphire substrate has been studied. Nanowire orientations are found to be growth temperature dominated. The vertical yields over total (VOT) curve shows a maximum peak beyond 70% around 480 °C, based on scanning electron microscope observations. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed a primary β-(-201) normal orientation of as grown nanowires all over the studied temperature interval. Further transmission electron microscopy characterization had confirmed β-(-201) normal axial orientation of these vertical nanowires, which have well crystallinity. The β-(010)//GaN(110) in-plane epitaxial relationship is consistent with reported Ga₂O₃ film/nanowire growth. Nanowires crystallized in β-[001] axial orientation were considered to be the inclined ones. Based on contrast experiments, the temperature dominated growth behavior is considered a thermodynamic process. The two observed crystalline orientation might have distinguishable but similar system energy, which results in coexistence of multi orientation nanowires over a large temperature span and an optimum temperature window for vertical β-(-201) normal orientation. The presented optimized β-Ga₂O₃ nanowire arrays with highest VOT close to 90% should effectively promote development of reliable high performance devices based on Ga₂O₃ nanowires.