Unconventional ribbon-shaped beta-Ga2O3 tubes with mobile Sn nanowire fillings

We report on the synthesis of novel, unconventional beta-Ga2O3 tubes via a Sn nanowire template process using thermal decomposition and oxidation of SnO and GaN powder mixtures. Distinctly different from any previously reported nano- and microtubes, the present beta-Ga2O3 tubes display a flattened and thin belt-like (or ribbon-like) morphology. Each ribbon-shaped tube has a width of similar to 1-2 mu m over its entire length, a length in the range of tens of micrometers, a thickness of similar to 100-150 nm, and a uniform inner diameter of 30-120 nm. The tubes were either partially or completely filled with Sn nanowires, forming Sn/Ga2O3 metal-semiconductor nanowire heterostructures. A convergent electron beam generated in a transmission electron microscope is demonstrated to be an effective too[ for delicate manipulation of encapsulated Sn nanowires. The Sn nanowires were gently cut apart (into two discrete fragments) and then completely separated and rejoined within Ga2O3 ribbon-shaped tubes. These unconventional beta-Ga2O3 tubes not only should enrich the well-established bank of nanostructured morphologies and extend the understanding of crystal growth at the nanoscale but also may have promise for the design of electron-beam-irradiation- or thermo-driven electrical switches.