Intergrowth mechanism of silicon nanowires and silver dendrites

The intergrowth mechanism of silicon nanowires and silver dendrites formed by electroless metal deposition has been investigated by scanning electron microscopy. A self-assembled localized microscopic electrochemical cell model can adequately describe the self-organized Si nanowires growth. Using these in situ prepared Si nanowire arrays as templates, a diffusion-limited aggregation process is proposed to explain the formation of the silver dendritic nanostructures.