Controlled growth of SnO2 hierarchical nanostructures by a multistep thermal vapor deposition process

Branched and sub-branched SnO2 hierarchical architectures in which numerous aligned nanowires grew on the surface of nanobelt substrates have been obtained by a multi-step thermal vapor deposition route. Branch size and morphology can be controlled by adjusting the temperature and duration of growth. The same approach was used to grow branched ZnO-SnO2 heterojunction nanostructures. In addition, the third level of SnO2 nanostructures was obtained by repeating the vapor deposition growth process. This technique provides a general, facile, and convenient approach for preparing even more complex nanoarchitectures, and should open up new opportunities for both fundamental research and applications, such as nanobelt-based three-dimensional nanodevices.