Iron-assisted vapor-phase hydrothermal method: a low-temperature approach to synthesize blue light emissive SiOx nanowires with single-crystal structure of P2(1)2(1)2

A novel and facile approach, named iron-assisted vapor-phase hydrothermal method, is proposed to fabricate the long and stable bright blue light emitting SiOx nanowires (SiONWs) at a low temperature. The obtained SiONWs possess a brand-new single-crystalline structure of space group P21212. This new type of bright blue light emitting SiONW with a new single-crystalline structure may initiate a new 1D optical material and offer new opportunities for the research in science and technology.