The Promise and Perils of Wide‐Bandgap Semiconductor Nanowires for Sensing, Electronic, and Photonic Applications

What's next for wires? As reported in this journal and others, enormous research interest currently exists in the preparation and application of semiconductor nanowires, but is there justification for all of this work, particularly in terms of the actual utility of the devices that result? The Essay discusses what might (and might not) be achieved in the near future. The image shows small ZnO nanowires growing from the edge of a larger ZnO nanowire.