Dependence of the morphology evolution and crystal orientation of tellurium (Te) micro- and nanostructures on the growth temperature

One-dimensional (1D) single crystalline tellurium (Te) micro- and nanostructures were successfully prepared using thermal evaporation with a metallic Te powder. We found that the morphologies of the Te structures evolved from microrods to nanorods and finally tubular nanostructures with increasing growth temperatures of 500, 600, and 700 °C. Our results strongly suggest that the growth temperature, which highly depends on the formation of a two-dimensional (2D) Te microcrystal layer on the substrate, plays an important role in determining the surface morphology and the crystal orientation of the Te micro- and nanostructures.