Among the several one-dimensional nanostructures, oxide nanomaterials have a wide variety of applications including energy harvesting, photonics and biosensing applications. In this article, selective synthesis of silica nanowires on silicon wafers by ion implantation and metal thin film catalysis is reported. The influence of growth time, implantation dose and heating temperature on the structure and morphology of the wires is investigated. A growth model is derived from studying nanowire nucleation as a function of heating time. The use of silica nanowires in biosensing applications is demonstrated. Finally, the dispersion of silica nanowires using ultrasonication is explored.Silica nanowires were found to grow on metal coated or metal implanted Si substrate in an open tube furnace at 1100 deg C with Ar as a carrier gas. Nanowires nucleated following a combination of Vapor Liquid Solid (VLS) and Oxide Assisted Growth (OAG) mechanisms conducive for mass manufacturing. The architecture of randomly dispersed silica nanowire on metal electrode was found to have a lower detection limit of Interleukin-10, a lung cancer biomarker.
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