Controlled Growth of SnO2 Hierarchical Nanostructures by a Multistep Thermal Vapor Deposition Process

Branched and sub‐branched SnO2 hierarchical architectures in which numerous aligned nanowires grew on the surface of nanobelt substrates have been obtained by a multistep thermal vapor deposition route. Branch size and morphology can be controlled by adjusting the temperature and duration of growth. The same approach was used to grow branched ZnO–SnO2 heterojunction nanostructures. In addition, the third level of SnO2 nanostructures was obtained by repeating the vapor deposition growth process. This technique provides a general, facile, and convenient approach for preparing even more complex nanoarchitectures, and should open up new opportunities for both fundamental research and applications, such as nanobelt‐based three‐dimensional nanodevices. Hierarchical SnO2 architectures in which numerous aligned nanowires grew on the surface of micrometer‐wide single‐crystal nanobelt substrates (see picture) have been obtained via a multistep vapor‐phase deposition route. The size, morphology, and composition of each level of branching of the hierarchical nanostructures could be controlled. The novel hierarchical structures have great potential in the future of nanotechnology.