SYNTHESIS OF AMORPHOUS SiOx NANOSTRUCTURES

Various amorphous SiOx nanotube structures nucleated by GeOx nanoparticles were synthesized by thermal evaporation method. The presence of Ge does not only nucleate the growth of the SiOx nanomaterials, but also dopes them. The nanostructure morphology is affected by the substrate temperature, source temperature and GeOx vapor density through their effect on the size and lifetime of the nucleation center. In general, low substrate temperature promotes the formation of the nanotube bundle structure with 2–3% atomic ratio of Ge doping, and high temperature produces Ge-free much less bundled nanotubes.