Preparation and characterization of oriented silica nanowires

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Large-scale of oriented closely packed silica nanowire bunches have been synthesized by using large size (1–10 μm in diameter), low melting point tin droplets as catalyst on silicon wafers at 980 °C. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses show that the amorphous silica nanowires have lengths of 50–100 μm and diameters of 100–200 nm. Unlike any previous observed results using high melting point metal (such as gold and iron) as catalyst, the Sn catalyst growth exhibits many interesting phenomena. Each Sn ball can simultaneously catalyze the growth of many silica nanowires, which is quite different from the conventional vapor–liquid–solid process.