There is currently an intensive effort to develop large-scale semiconductor nanowire or nanotube materials, such as Si and silicon oxide SiOx (l<x<2), with the uniform wide range of sizes up to 30nm, which would open us new opportunities in semiconductor and catalysis industries but is difficult to achieve at present. Up to our knowledge, the detailed study on macroscopic synthesis of aligned silicon oxide nanostructures with about 30nm diameter has not been carried on yet.

The ordered nanochannel-array anodic alumina were prepared via the anodization of aluminum textured pattern on the surface in a 3% oxalic acidic solution under the constant-voltage condition. It is about 6 μm and contains ordered cylindrical pores with the uniform diameter of 20-30nm and almost perpendicular to the film surface. The aligned silicon oxide nanostructures were prepared on this anodic alumina using a sol-gel method.

For sol aged at room temperature and dipped for lmin., nanowires are formed in a shorter period of aging time; while nanotubes are synthesized in a longer time (above 23 days).