Hierarchical Nanostructures by Thermal Oxidation of Metals

Problem: Need for continuous improvement in thermal management across various applications. Technology: The invention presents a new mechanism for tunable nanowire growth from thermal oxidation of copper particles. By changing the particle size, the inventors were able to control the extent of growth and identify regimes of full and almost no nanowire coverage. The invention also proposes a three step oxidation process to account for the formation of a previously unreported intermediate phase with inner voids. Christopher Noble crn@mit.edu