Temperature‐Dependent Growth of Germanium Oxide and Silicon Oxide Based Nanostructures, Aligned Silicon Oxide Nanowire Assemblies, and Silicon Oxide Microtubes

We demonstrate the temperature‐dependent growth of germanium oxide and silicon oxide based composite nanostructures (multiple nanojunctions of Ge nanowires and SiO x nanowires, Ge‐filled SiO 2 nanotubes, Ge/SiO 2 coaxial nanocables, and a variety of interesting micrometer‐sized structures), aligned SiO x nanowire assemblies, and SiO x microtubes. The structures were characterized by SEM, TEM, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, and electron diffraction. The combination of laser ablation of a germanium target and thermal evaoporation of silicon monoxide powders resulted in the formation of Ge and SiO x species in a carrier gas; the nano/micro‐sized structures grow by either a Ge‐catalyzed vapor–liquid–solid or a Ge‐nanowire‐templated vapor–solid process.