A versatile chemical vapor deposition method to synthesize one-dimensional silica-sheathed nanostructures

We developed a simple and versatile chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method to synthesize uniform silica sheaths with controlled thickness on a series of one-dimensional nanostructures, such as ZnS, CdS, ZnSe, Si, and Ge nanowires. The nanowire/silica nanocables were characterized using electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry. The silica sheath was observed to dramatically improve the thermal stability of the nanowires while keep their optical properties unchanged. The growth mechanism and the synthesis conditions for the silica shell were studied.