Centimeter-long Ta3N5 nanobelts: synthesis, electrical transport, and photoconductive properties

Centimeter-long Ta3N5 nanobelts were synthesized by a reaction of centimeter-long TaS3 nanobelt templates with flowing NH3 at 800 degrees C for 2 h. The nanobelts have cross-sections of about 50 x 100 nm(2), and lengths up to 0.5 cm. A field effect transistor (FET) made of a single Ta3N5 nanobelt was fabricated on silica/silicon substrate. The electric transport of the individual nanobelt revealed that the nanobelt is a semiconductor with a room-temperature resistivity of 11.88 Omega m, and can be fitted well with an empirical formula rho = 10831 exp(-T/43.8) -22.6, where rho is resistivity (Omega m) and T is absolute temperature (K). The FET showed decent photoconductive performance under light irradiation in the range 250-630 nm. The photocurrent increased by nearly 10 times the dark current under 450 nm light irradiation at an applied voltage of 5.0 V.