Controllable Synthesis and Growth Model of Amorphous Silicon Nanotubes with Periodically Dome‐Shaped Interiors

Amorphous silicon nanotubes with periodically aligned dome-shaped interiors (see Figure) are fabricated by chemical vapor deposition using a gold catalyst. As-grown materials have a length of several tens of micrometers and diameters of 70–100 nm. The inner shape and size of the interiors in the products may be tuned by controlling the silane flow rate, producing structures ranging from nanowires to tubular structures. A growth model based on surface tension is proposed.