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Merkel, Daniel

Mechanical Engineering

2014

M.S.

The role of nanostructured semiconductor materials has become increasingly important in the production of next-generation microdevices for sensing, computing, and energy harvesting. Quasi one-dimensional nanowires exhibit improved thermal and electrical transport properties suitable for thermoelectric applications. Whereas our ability to control properties and functions in single nanowires is currently limited, the integration of nanowire networks to next-generation devices and soft materials offer new opportunities, and is particularly sought for large-area optical sensors, transparent electrodes, and stretchable electronics. This thesis focuses on the fabrication and performance of flexible polymer composite materials containing functional indium antimonide (InSb) nanowire networks.
The InSb compound is known to possess one of the highest transport behaviors among semiconductors, and InSb nanowires are expected to show enhanced properties compared to their bulk counterparts. Additionally, the synthesis of InSb nanowires by electrodeposition is well established. This study presents the synthesis of InSb nanowires by a variation of the template-assisted electrodeposition technique, followed by the fabrication of inhomogeneous metal-semiconductor nanowire networks on flexible polymer substrates by a simplified dry transfer method. The electrical behavior of this new class of flexible nanowire network-based composites is studied as a function of nanowire network density.