Nucleation, evolution, and growth dynamics of amorphous silica nanosprings

The initial phases of amorphous silica nanospring formation via a vapor-liquid-solid mechanism are reported. The low temperature eutectic of Au-Si results in the formation of an asymmetrical shaped catalyst at the early stages of nanospring formation. As solid silica is formed below the Au-Si catalyst the system lowers its surface free energy and forms multiple amorphous silica nanowires beneath a common catalyst, as opposed to a single nanowire. The diameter of one of the nanowires forming the nanospring ranges between 10-20 nm. The difference in growth rates of the individual nanowires creates an asymmetry in the interfacial surface tension on the boundaries of the Au-Si catalyst/nanowires interface. Using Stokes' theorem it is shown that there is a variable work of adhesion on the outer boundary of the Au-Si catalyst/nanowire interface of a nanospring, which is defined as an effective contact angle anisotropy. The anisotropic growth on the catalyst/nanowire boundary results in the nanowires coherently coiling into to a single, larger, helical structure with an overall diameter of 70-500 nm.