i am using N2 as a carrier gas in growth of SnO2 nanowires using VLS technique on Si (100) gold coated substrates. got good results using N2 as a carrier gas compare to Ar Why?
You can get either chemical effects if your temperature is high (say >600K). Or just because of the larger diffusion coefficients of nanowire precursor molecules through the lighter nitrogen gas.
N2 has tri-bond, does not break at low temperature. it has single lone-pair of electron, so easily oxygen will incorporate into the system. in Ar atmp does not allow the oxygen.