Versatile route to the controlled synthesis of multilevel branched silicon submicrometer/nanostructures

A variety of silicon based multilevel branched submicrometer/ nanostructures, such as branched nanowheatheads, big branched nanowheat-heads, and branched nanowires, have been rationally synthesized via a simple one-step, inexpensive, and catalyst-free fabrication technique. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy studies suggested that the main stem of wheat head and the nanotips of silicon branched nanowheat-heads are single crystals with the preferential growth direction along the [1̄12] and [11̄2] and orientation, respectively. Compared with big branched nanowheat-heads and branched nanowires, the room-temperature Raman frequency of branched nanowheat-heads is blue-shifted and its full width at half-maximum broadens. A moderately strong photoluminescence emission at 550 nm was suggested to be induced by defects, such as stacking faults or the SiO_x surface in the branched nanowheat-heads, suggesting potential applications in light-emitting nanodevices. These studies shed light on new opportunities for fabricating different 3-dimensional nanostructures based on their property investigation.