Growth and Synthesis of Nanostructured Thin Films

Abstract

Nanostructured thin film (NSTF) is composed of thin layers of nanostructured objects such as nanoparticles, nanorods, nanotubes, nanowires, and nanoporous networks. Fabrication and synthesis of those nanostructured thin films are essential for exploring their properties and creating advanced applications. This chapter gives an overview of a range of synthesis methods for NSTFs, such as thermal vapor transport methods, catalyst-assisted fabrication methods, physical vapor deposition methods, chemical vapor deposition methods, sol–gel methods, diblock copolymer methods, spin coating methods, electrochemical deposition/etching methods, electrospinning methods, and template-based synthesis techniques. In the end, we have detailed an emerging nanofabrication method, the glancing angle deposition method, and its capability to design NSTF with different geometry and compositions.