Effects of Surfactants on the Morphology and Structure of Antimony Nanowires Grown in Track-Etched Membranes

Abstract Ion track-etched membranes are excellent templates for growing nanowires by electroplating, as the template route provides precise and independent control over key characteristics such as size, shape, crystallinity, and composition of the grown nanowires. Achieving high filling ratios of the pores is essential for the reliable fabrication of nanowire-based devices, yet this must be accomplished without compromising structural quality or functional properties. While surfactants have previously been employed to improve said filling rations by improving the wettability, they also influence parameters such as nucleation and growth speeds as well as morphology and crystal structure of deposited material, and their specific effects on nanowire crystallinity and growth remain less explored. Here, we investigate the influence of two surfactants, a nonionic surfactant (Brij 58) and an anionic surfactant (Dowfax 2A1), at concentrations up to 0.4 mol/l on the electrodeposition process, morphology, and crystallographic structure of Sb nanowires. Our results demonstrate that both surfactants significantly enhance the pore-filling ratio while reducing the crystallite size of the deposited material, without disrupting the preferred (012) crystal orientation. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing nanowire growth and tailoring microstructural properties through surfactant-assisted electroplating.