The growth of pine-leaf-like hierarchical SnO2 nanostructures

Abstract

Pine-leaf-like SnO2 hierarchical nanostructures (NSs) were grown by a two-step vapour transport deposition process with a combination of vapour-solid and vapour-liquid-solid mechanisms at the primary and secondary processes, respectively. This type of hierarchical structure consisted of SnO2 trunk with homo-branching nanowires (NWs). The branched NWs connected the trunk NWs at included angles of 56 degrees and 90 degrees for two different types of hierarchical NSs. Based on the thermodynamic calculation, the formation of branched NWs at those angles are all energetically favourable.