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Selenium dioxide nanowires were fabricated as the co-products of ZnSe nanostructures. The SeO2 nanowires have diameters between 20∼70 nm and lengths up to several hundred micrometers. The morphology and microstructure of the nanowires were analyzed using TEM, and the growth mechanism of the SeO2 nanowires was explained under the framework of a vapor-solid model, in which structure defects may play a very important role in the nanowire growth. The nanostructured SeO2 materials may find application in both catalytic and biological fields.

We describe a vapor-phase route to the controllable synthesis of indium oxide micro-and nanopyramids on the silicon wafer via selective epitaxial vapor-solid growth by a methane-assist thermal reduction method. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the pyramids were cubic single crystals with a tetragonal symmetry. The size, morphology, and density of pyramids could easily be controlled by tuning reaction parameters. The method has good compatibility with other procedures involved in the microfabrication processes. Laterally grown indium oxide nanorods on the silicon wafer were also prepared via a vapor-liquid-solid mechanism. Those crystalline In2O3 nanorods were about 100 nm in diameter and 1 μm in length. The as-synthesized indium oxide nanopyramids and nanorods could offer novel opportunities for both fundamental research and technological applications.

Hafnium dioxide that belongs to a class of metal oxides with a high dielectric constant or high-k dielectrics has been recently introduced as a gate dielectric in field effect transistors. We report a theoretical study of structural and electronic properties of hafnia surface, and the electronic structure and band alignment at hafnia interfaces with metals, oxides and semiconductors that are crucial in gate stack engineering.