  Networks of nanowires are currently under consideration for a wide range of
electronic and optoelectronic applications. Nanowire devices are usually made
by sequential deposition, which inevitably leads to stacking of the wires on
top of one another. Here we demonstrate the effect of stacking on the topology
of the resulting networks. We compare perfectly 2D networks with quasi3D
networks, and compare both nanowire networks to the corresponding Watts
Strogatz networks, which are standard benchmark systems. By investigating
quantities such as clustering, path length, modularity, and small world
propensity we show that the connectivity of the quasi-3D networks is
significantly different to that of the 2D networks, a result which may have
important implications for applications of nanowire networks.
