New nanowire heterostructures: SnO2nanowires epitaxial growth on Si bicrystalline nanowires

Abstract

Combining thermal decomposition and evaporation of a mixed powder of SiO and SnO₂ under careful temperature control resulted in SnO₂ nanowires epitaxial growth on Si bicrystalline nanowires, forming new three layered radial Si–Si–SnO₂ nanowire heterostructures, which the nature of interfacial regions and phase boundaries are different from the characteristics of axial composite nanowires. Each Si–Si–SnO₂ composite nanowire has a uniform diameter along its whole length; the typical diameter of the nanowires ranges from 50 to 150 nm, and the diameters of Si bicrystalline nanowires and SnO₂ nanowires within a nanowire heterostructure are ∼30–100 nm. These Si–Si–SnO₂ nanowire heterostructures display unique intensive green luminescence emission compared to that of UV emissions of the near-band edge of SnO₂.