Polarization-dependent optical band gap energy of aligned semiconducting titanium oxide nanowire deposits

Thin deposits of aligned semiconducting titanium oxide and of zinc oxide nanowires are prepared by grazing incidence spraying on transparent substrates. By measuring the transmittance of linearly polarized light of these anisotropic assemblies as compared to that of randomly oriented nanowires and of spherical nanoparticles, we find that titanium oxide nanowires exhibit an orientation-dependent variation of the apparent optical band gap energy at room temperature (>100 meV), depending on the direction of the polarization of the light with respect to the direction of alignment of the nanowires.

Automated summary

This study prepared thin deposits of aligned semiconducting titanium oxide and zinc oxide nanowires using grazing incidence spraying technique on transparent substrates. By measuring the transmittance of linearly polarized light, it was found that titanium oxide nanowires exhibit an orientation-dependent variation of the apparent optical band gap energy at room temperature (>100 meV), providing insights for the design of future optoelectronic devices.