High-density, aligned SiO2 nanowire arrays: microscopic imaging of the unique growth style and their ultraviolet light emission properties.

ABSTRACT

High-density, free-standing SiO2 nanowire arrays were successfully fabricated by a simple chemical vapor deposition method through a controlled pattern of the micrometer-sized alloyed balls on the Si substrate combined with a local balanced and steady-state reaction vapor environment. The direct observation of temporal evolution of the SiO2 nanowire growth process via the microscopic imaging approach offers us amazing pictures related to the unique vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth styles. These novel results are beneficial to understanding the formation mechanism of silica nanowire arrays, and at the same time, they extend our knowledge of VLS growth phenomena. The stable and strong ultraviolet emission properties of the as-grown products are of significant interest for their potential applications related to nanoscale optoelectronic device including ultraviolet-light-emitting devices, etc.