Single-crystalline vanadium dioxide nanowires with rectangular cross sections.

We report the synthesis of single-crystalline VO2 nanowires with rectangular cross sections using a vapor transport method. These nanowires have typical diameters of 60 (+/-30) nm and lengths up to >10 mum. Electron microscopy and diffraction measurements show that the VO2 nanowires are single crystalline and exhibit a monoclinic structure. Moreover, they preferentially grow along the [100] direction and are bounded by the (01) and (011) facets. These VO2 nanowires should provide promising materials for fundamental investigations of nanoscale metal-insulator transitions.