Ga-filled single-crystalline MgO nanotube: Wide-temperature range nanothermometer

A highly effective one-step approach was developed to synthesize single-crystalline MgO nanotubes and in situ fill nanotubes with Ga. The axes of nanotubes are in the [100] direction of cubic MgO. The prepared nanotube exhibits a square-like cross section both for its interior and exterior. The liquid metal-assisted route is suggested to be a general way to prepare oxide nanotubes. Linear thermal expansion behavior recorded for liquid gallium column confined in the MgO nanotube makes possible creation of a wide-temperature range nanothermometer with superior mechanical properties and environmental structural stability. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.