Metal-catalyst-free growth of silica nanowires and carbon nanotubes using ge nanostructures

The use of Ge nanostructures is investigated for the metal-catalyst-free growth of silica nanowires and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Silica nanowires with diameters of 10-50nm and lengths of ≤1 μm were grown from SiGe islands, Ge dots, and Ge nanoparticles. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) reveal that the nanowires grow from oxide nanoparticles on the sample surface. We propose that the growth mechanism is thermal diffusion of oxide through the GeO₂ nanostructures. CNTs with diameters 0.6-2.5 nm and lengths of less than a few μm were similarly grown by chemical vapor deposition from different types of Ge nanostructures. Raman measurements show the presence of radial breathing mode peaks and the absence of the disorder induced D-band, indicating single walled CNTs with a low defect density. HRTEM images reveal that the CNTs also grow from oxide nanoparticles, comprising a mixture of GeO₂ and Si ₂.