| abstract |
Vapor phase methods for synthesizing metal nanowires directly without the help of templates. A vapor phase method in which nucleation and growth of metal oxides at temperatures higher than the oxide decomposition temperatures lead to the respective metal nanowires. The chemical vapor transport of tungsten in the presence of oxygen onto substrates kept at temperatures higher than the tungsten oxide decomposition temperature (˜1450° C.) led to nucleation and growth of pure metallic tungsten nanowires. In a similar procedure, tungsten oxide nanowires were synthesized by maintaining the substrates at a temperature lower than the decomposition temperature of tungsten oxide. The vapor transport of low-melting metal oxides provides a procedure for synthesizing metal and metal oxide nanowires. |