Fabrication and structure characterization of Te butterfly nanostructures

Te butterfly nanostructures and nanowires have been fabricated by template-free electrodeposition (TFED) in aqueous solution. By high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) study, the favored growth direction of the wings of the butterfly nanostructures and nanowires was determined to be along the [0001] direction of trigonal Te, and the twinning plane of the butterfly nanostructures was (11-22). The cathodoluminescence measurements carried out at different positions of the butterfly nanostructure indicated that the twin boundary influenced the photoemission efficiency.