Molecular beam epitaxy-grown Bi4Te3 nanowires

With Au nanoparticles as the catalyst, the formation of Bi4Te3 nanowires was achieved at an optimized substrate temperature of around 330 °C. We found two growth mechanisms for the nanowires: a self-assembled growth mode through islands as the seed and a vapor-solid-solid growth mode through the assistance of Au catalyst nanoparticles, the decisive factor for which was identified as the density of the Au nanoparticles.