Editing Nanowire (section)

=== Solution-phase synthesis ===
Solution-phase synthesis refers to techniques that grow nanowires in solution. They can produce nanowires of many types of materials. Solution-phase synthesis has the advantage that it can produce very large quantities, compared to other methods. In one technique, the [[polyol]] synthesis, ethylene glycol is both solvent and reducing agent. This technique is particularly versatile at producing nanowires of gold,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Yin|first1=Xi|last2=Wu|first2=Jianbo|last3=Li|first3=Panpan|last4=Shi|first4=Miao|last5=Yang|first5=Hong|title=Self-Heating Approach to the Fast Production of Uniform Metal Nanostructures|journal=ChemNanoMat|date=January 2016|volume=2|issue=1|pages=37–41|doi=10.1002/cnma.201500123}}</ref> lead, platinum, and silver.

The supercritical fluid-liquid-solid growth method<ref>{{cite journal|pmid=10688792|year=2000|last1=Holmes|first1=J. D.|title=Control of thickness and orientation of solution-grown silicon nanowires|journal=Science|volume=287|issue=5457|pages=1471–3|last2=Johnston|first2=K. P.|last3=Doty|first3=R. C.|last4=Korgel|first4=B. A.|bibcode=2000Sci...287.1471H|doi=10.1126/science.287.5457.1471}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1021/cm2007704|title=Rapid SFLS Synthesis of Si Nanowires Using Trisilane with in situ Alkyl-Amine Passivation|journal=Chemistry of Materials|volume=23|issue=11|pages=2697–2699|year=2011|last1=Heitsch|first1=Andrew T.|last2=Akhavan|first2=Vahid A.|last3=Korgel|first3=Brian A.}}</ref> can be used to synthesize semiconductor nanowires, e.g., Si and Ge. By using metal nanocrystals as seeds,<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1002/adma.200390101|title=Supercritical Fluid–Liquid–Solid (SFLS) Synthesis of Si and Ge Nanowires Seeded by Colloidal Metal Nanocrystals|journal=Advanced Materials|volume=15|issue=5|pages=437–440|year=2003|last1=Hanrath|first1=T.|last2=Korgel|first2=B.A.|bibcode=2003AdM....15..437H |s2cid=137573988 }}</ref> Si and Ge organometallic precursors are fed into a reactor filled with a supercritical organic solvent, such as [[toluene]]. [[Thermal decomposition|Thermolysis]] results in degradation of the precursor, allowing release of Si or Ge, and dissolution into the metal nanocrystals.  As more of the semiconductor solute is added from the supercritical phase (due to a concentration gradient), a solid crystallite precipitates, and a nanowire grows uniaxially from the nanocrystal seed.