Fabricated from ZnO, III-N, chalcogenide-based, III-V, hybrid perovskite or other materials, semiconductor nanowires offer single-element and array functionality as photovoltaic, non-linear, electroluminescent and lasing components. In many applications their advantageous properties emerge from their geometry; a high surface-to-volume ratio for facile access to carriers, wavelength-scale dimensions for waveguiding or a small nanowire-substrate footprint enabling heterogeneous growth. However, inhomogeneity during bottom-up growth is ubiquitous and can impact morphology, geometry, crystal structure, defect density, heterostructure dimensions and ultimately functional performance. In this topical review, we discuss the origin and impact of heterogeneity within and between optoelectronic nanowires, and introduce methods to assess, optimise and ultimately exploit wire-to-wire disorder.

半导体纳米线由ZnO，III-N，硫族化物基，III-V，混合钙钛矿或其他材料制成，可提供单元素和阵列功能，可作为光伏，非线性，电致发光和激光组件。在许多应用中，它们的优势来自于其几何形状。高的表面体积比可轻松获得载流子，用于波导的波长尺度尺寸或较小的纳米线基板足迹可实现异质生长。但是，自下而上生长过程中的不均匀性普遍存在，并且会影响形态，几何形状，晶体结构，缺陷密度，异质结构尺寸并最终影响功能性能。在本专题综述中，我们讨论了光电纳米线内部和之间的异质性的起源和影响，并介绍了评估，