Abstract
Honeycomb structure of Au nanoparticles on Si0.8Ge0.2 was drop-cast from the Au nanoparticle solution. Hexagonal networks with discrete Au particles were generated in samples annealed in N2 ambient. For samples held at 1075 ℃ for 10 min, novel fireball-like Si1-xGex oxide nanowire networks were formed. From the transmission electron microscopy observation, the nanowires were found to vary in composition of Si, Ge, O, and to possess an amorphous structure. The growth of Si1-xGex oxide nanowires was proposed to be dominated by vapor-liquid-solid and oxide-assisted-growth mechanisms. Cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements show that the synthesized SixGe1-x oxide nanowires have a strong blue emission peak at 418 nm (2.99 eV ). According to the CL mapping image, it could be found that the main light-emitting positions coincide with the positions of the hexagonal SixGe1-x oxide nanowire networks.