Synthesis of Crystalline Silicon Tubular Nanostructures with ZnS Nanowires as Removable Templates

Silicon epitaxy on ZnS nanowires results in the formation of ZnS/Si core/shell nanowires; chemical removal of the zinc blende nanowire templates produces monocrystalline silicon tubular nanostructures with outer diameters of about 60–180 nm, wall thicknesses of about 20–60 nm, and lengths of several micrometers (see picture). The electron diffraction pattern of an individual nanostructure (inset) confirmed the presence of single-crystalline silicon.