Morphology-tuned growth of α-MnSe one-dimensional nanostructures

MnSe one-dimensional nanostructures were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition and their morphology was tuned from nanowires to MnSe/silica core/shell nanocables and "peapods," as well as nanocube-chain networks by adjusting the growth conditions. All of these MnSe nanocrystals had a single-crystalline rock-salt alpha-MnSe structure, grown typically with the [100] growth direction. The MnSe. nanoparticles (diameter = 40 nm) were encapsulated into the amorphous silica nanowires, forming a "peapod" structure. The MnSe nanocubes (100-200 nm) were linked in chains along their [100] and [110] directions, forming a unique network structure. We propose a growth mechanism in which the competition between the growth rates of MnSe and silica results in the formation of these different morphologies.