Fabrication of nanowires of multicomponent oxides: Review of recent advances

We review the state of the art in nanowire synthesis with special emphasis on multicomponent oxide nanowires and profile the latest advances. We emphasize the advantages of both template-aided and template-free chemical solution methods for the synthesis of functional oxide nanowires. We analyse some of the key issues facing the practical realization of nanowire-based products from the synthesis point of view and present potential solutions. The objective of our paper is to provide key facts that can bridge the gap between the Science and Technology of nanowires fabrication.