Stereoaligned epitaxial growth of single-crystalline platinum nanowires by chemical vapor transport

Epitaxial Pt nanowire (NW) arrays are synthesized for the first time by a chemical vapor transport method by using a metal halide as a precursor. Here we report that the epitaxial growth direction of NWs can be steered by seed crystal morphology. Octahedral seeds grow into inclined NWs possessing six growth directions, whereas half-octahedral seeds grow into vertical and horizontal NWs. Interfacial energies between the seed material and the substrate are critical in determining the morphology of seed crystals. We also demonstrate that non-SERS-active Pt NWs can show strong surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra by placing them on Ag films. The active SERS observation would help to elucidate platinum-catalyzed chemical reactions.