Facile Synthesis of Silica Nanowires Using a Sodium Tripolyphosphate Emulsion Template

Despite the advantages of the emulsion template method for silica nanowire synthesis, the potential of inorganic salts as templates remains largely untapped beyond conventional citrate systems. Herein, we report a facile and efficient emulsion-template strategy for the synthesis of elegant silica nanowires (SiO₂ NWs) using sodium tripolyphosphate (Na₅P₃O₁₀) as the templating agent. This method reliably produces thinner nanowires with diameters of approximately 100-200 nm and high aspect ratios up to 60 or more. Notably, the experimental results indicate that Na₅P₃O₁₀ migrates along the growing nanowire, confirming its role as a dynamic template.