Iron-Assisted Vapor-Phase Hydrothermal Method: A Low-Temperature Approach To Synthesize Blue Light Emissive SiOx Nanowires with Single-Crystal Structure of P21212

Flash Solid-Solid Synthesis of Silicon Oxide Nanorods

1D silicon-based nanomaterials, renowned for their unique chemical and physical properties, have enabled the development of numerous advanced materials and biomedical technologies. Their production often necessitates complex and expensive equipment, requires hazardous precursors and demanding experimental conditions, and involves lengthy processes. Herein, a flash solid-solid (FSS) process is presented for the synthesis of silicon oxide nanorods completed within seconds. The innovative features of this FSS process include its simplicity, speed, and exclusive use of solid precursors, comprising hydrogen-terminated silicon nanosheets and a metal nitrate catalyst. Advanced electron microscopy and X-ray spectroscopy analyses favor a solid-liquid-solid reaction pathway for the growth of the silicon oxide nanorods with vapor-liquid-solid characteristics.

Silicon oxide nanowires: facile and controlled large area fabrication of vertically oriented silicon oxide nanowires for photoluminescence and sensor applications

We describe a technique for the fabrication of dense and patterned arrays of aligned silicon oxide nanowires for applications in surface modification, optoelectronic, and electromechanical based devices. Conventional techniques for the fabrication of silicon oxide nanowires based on the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes involve the use of high temperatures and catalysts. We demonstrate a technique that extends the use of a plasma thermal reactive ion etching for the fabrication of aligned silicon oxide nanowires with aspect ratios extending up to 20 and lengths exceeding 1 μm. The process incorporates phase separated PS-b-P4VP block copolymer loaded with an iron salt. The iron salt preferentially segregates into the P4VP layer and during an O2 etch is not removed but forms a hexagonally packed array on the silicon oxide substrate. Further etching with CHF3/O2 gas mixture over time can generate nanodots, to nanopillars, and then nanowires of silicon oxide. The photoluminescence property of the as-fabricated nanowire arrays as well as the parasitic ferromagnetic effect from the iron oxide-tipped section of the wires resulting in coalescence under an scanning electron microscope (SEM) are demonstrated. This technique is simpler compared to existing VLS fabrication approaches and can be used for the direct fabrication of patterned arrays of nanowires when a laser interference ablation step is incorporated into the fabrication procedure.

Direct synthesis of silicon oxide nanowires on organic polymer substrates

A nanowire growth model assisted by polymer reconstruction was discovered and used to achieve the direct synthesis of amorphous silicon oxide nanowires (SiONWs) on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates at low growth temperatures (no more than 150 degrees C) using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The reconstructed polymers were generated from the scission and recombination of polymer chains on the surface of PET substrates under active Ar:O(2) plasma in the PECVD process. The highly ordered nanowire arrays exhibited an excellent geometrical configuration that is comparable to that of SiONWs grown on Si substrates at temperatures higher than 1000 degrees C by using conventional vapor deposition methods with various metal catalysts. A promising optical property-strong photoluminescence in the violet-blue spectral range at room temperature-was detected in the nanowires. This might lead to breakthroughs in the fabrication of electronic and optical nanoscale devices on flexible polymer substrates.

The growth mechanism for silicon oxide nanowires synthesized from an Au nanoparticle/polyimide/Si thin film stack

During pyrolysis of polyimide (PI) thin film, amorphous silicon oxide nanowires (SiO(x)NWs) were produced on a large scale through heat treatment of an Au nanoparticle/PI/Si thin film stack at 1000 °C. It was shown that carbonization of the PI film preceded the nucleation of the SiO(x)NWs. The formation of the SiO(x)NWs was sustained by the oxygen derived from carbonization of the polyimide thin film while Si was provided from the substrate. Au nanoparticles promoted the SiO(x)NW growth by inducing localized melting of the Si substrate and by catalyzing the nanowire growth.

Synthesis of inorganic nanomaterials

Synthesis forms a vital aspect of the science of nanomaterials. In this context, chemical methods have proved to be more effective and versatile than physical methods and have therefore, been employed widely to synthesize a variety of nanomaterials, including zero-dimensional nanocrystals, one-dimensional nanowires and nanotubes as well as two-dimensional nanofilms and nanowalls. Chemical synthesis of inorganic nanomaterials has been pursued vigorously in the last few years and in this article we provide a perspective on the present status of the subject. The article includes a discussion of nanocrystals and nanowires of metals, oxides, chalcogenides and pnictides. In addition, inorganic nanotubes and nanowalls have been reviewed. Some aspects of core-shell particles, oriented attachment and the use of liquid-liquid interfaces are also presented.