SiO2-sheathed InS nanowires and SiO2 nanotubes

InS nanowires uniformly sheathed with amorphous SiO2 were synthesized via a physical vapor deposition process. InS nanowires were 20-100 nm in diameter, and the SiO2 sheaths were 5-20 nm in thickness. Single-crystalline InS cores displayed orthorhombic structure and their longitudinal directions were preferentially aligned in the [100] orientation. Pure SiO2 nanotubes of typically round cross sections were also obtained by removing InS cores from the prepared nanocables via thermal evaporation. Photoluminescence measurements on these SiO2 nanotubes demonstrated strong visible-light emission peaked at 570 nm. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.