Electrical transport properties of individual TiO2 nanowire in one dimension

Abstract

The anatase TiO2 nanowire arrays with 60 ran diameter and 20 nm diameter were prepared within the nanochannels of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template by an electrochemically induced sol-gel method. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique was applied to map topographic image at half-contact mode and to measure current-voltage characteristics of individual TiO2 nanowire at contact mode. The I-V characteristics of individual TiO2 nanowire by AFM revealed semiconductor characteristics. The bias voltage resulting in a measurable current on individual TiO2 nanowire was much lower than that on the bulk TiO2 materials, and its value increased with the diameter of individual nanowire decreasing.