FABRICATION OF BRANCHED NANOTUBES OF SODIUM NIOBATE

Novel three-dimensional (3D) branched nanotubes of sodium niobate ( NaNbO 3 ) were produced by a multi-step reaction, which involves the synthesis of Nb 2 O 5 branched nanowires and subsequently treating these precursors in alkali solution. XRD and SEM have been used to analyze current products. All the obtained nanobranches exhibited tubular structure, which was induced by nanoscale Kirkendall effect and surface diffusion. This work demonstrates a simple and efficient pathway to design hierarchical and complex hollow nanostructures, which are expected to have important applications, such as sensors and photocatalysts.