Controlled growth of Id and quasi-Id nanostructures-cnms's capabilities in nanomaterials synthesis [invited]

The Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), is a highly collaborative user research facility for the synthesis, characterization, theory/modeling/simulation, and design of nanoscale materials and structures and the understanding of nanoscale phenomena. In this talk, I will review the CNMS's capabilities in exploring new synthetic approached and catalysts for controlled growth of various kinds of ID and quasi-ID nanostructures with an emphasis on oxide nanostructures. Specifically, I will show our results on the growth of elemental semiconductors (Si and Ge) nanowires by using Au as a catalyst, the growth of silicon oxide nanowire assemblies by using molten gallium as a catalyst, the fast growth of superlong ZnO nanowires by using semiconductor germanium as a catalyst, the fabrication of magnetic (oxide) nanorods by solvothermal methods, the growth of transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) (ZnO, SnO2, In2O3, Ga2O3, CdO) nanobelts by thermal evaporation and condensation technique, and our new concept in fabricating "seeable and touchable" nano/micro hybrid structures such as ZnO combs and ZnO styluses. Finally I will briefly outline our future interests in ID nanostructure synthesis.