South African Journal of Chemical Engineering (Oct 2023)
Nanowires Properties and Applications: A Review Study
Abstract
One-dimensional nanostructures are generally cited as nanowires, nanofibers, nanotubes, and so on. The foremost prominent feature of these materials is their electrical conductivity, which, unlike classical physics, doesn't increase their resistance because the diameter decreases. Numerous properties of these materials like electrical conductivity, optical, magnetic, biological, and environmental their sensory have created many applications for them altogether industries. nanowires (NWs) propose potential impact on electronics, computing, memory, data storage, communications, manufacturing, health, medicine, national security, and other economic sectors as well. NWs offer excellent surface-to-volume ratio (interface phenomena), low defect density, high optical output, and controllable n-type conductivity, making them more appropriate and sensitive for sensing applications. NWs with their ultra-sensitive and real-time detection capabilities lend their applications in nano biosensors, chemical sensors, gas sensors, and electrochemical sensors. NWs have been used in improving the optical absorption as well as for the collection efficacy in photovoltaic devices. NWs having small size, low weight, low cost for mass production, and are also compatible with commercial planar processes for large-scale circuitry. In the paper, the authors are focusing to summarize the recent advances in NWs with their potential applications in various fields such as research, health, security, education, entertainment, and power generation.