Caption: Pictured is a cluster of lead sulfide nanowire "pine trees" made by University of Wisconsin-Madison chemistry professor Song Jin and his colleagues, using a variation of a technique called chemical vapor deposition. While nanowires are usually grown with metal catalysts, growth of the trunks on Jin's nanotrees is driven by a spiral defect within them called "screw dislocation," causing them to twist as they elongate and their branches to spiral.
Photo by: courtesy Song Jin
Date: April 2008
High-resolution JPEG

Caption: Spiraling pine tree-like nanowires created by University of Wisconsin-Madison chemistry professor Song Jin and graduate student Matthew Bierman are evidence of an entirely different way of growing the tiny wires, one that could be harnessed to make better nanowires for applications such as high performance integrated circuits, LEDs and lasers, biosensors, and solar cells. The rapid elongation of the trunks is driven by a spiral defect within them called "screw dislocation," which causes them to twist as they grow and their branches to spiral.
Photo by: courtesy Song Jin
Date: April 2008
High-resolution JPEG

Caption: Spiraling pine tree-like nanowires created by University of Wisconsin-Madison chemistry professor Song Jin and graduate student Matthew Bierman are evidence of an entirely different way of growing the tiny wires, one that could be harnessed to make better nanowires for applications such as high performance integrated circuits, LEDs and lasers, biosensors, and solar cells. The rapid elongation of the trunks is driven by a spiral defect within them called "screw dislocation," which causes them to twist as they grow and their branches to spiral.
Photo by: courtesy Song Jin
Date: April 2008
High-resolution JPEG