Restructuring of ultra-thin branches in multi-nucleated silicon nanowires

The synthetic tunability of semiconductor nanowires has enabled researchers to apply these materials in a variety of applications from energy harvesting to biological stimulation. One of the most intensely researched areas is the synthesis of branched nanowires, or nano-tree structures, owing to their high surface area. In this paper, we present a synthetic protocol that enables the growth of ultra-thin nanowire branches on a primary nanowire. Specifically, the method yields tightly distributed branches, whose locality is unique to our method. We furthermore induce the transformation of these branches into spheroidal superstructures. We explain how an Ostwald ripening-like mechanism can account for such a transformation. We suggest how our method can expand the synthetic toolset of branched nanowires, thus enabling the development of applications.