Two members of our group recently participated in Nanowire Week 2025, held at St John’s College, University of Cambridge (UK), from 25–29 August 2025.

Dr. Isabel Gómez Palos delivered a talk on “Continuous synthesis of metal oxide nanowires floating in the gas phase.” She presented our latest work using floating catalyst chemical vapour deposition (FCCVD) to synthesise tin monoxide (SnO) nanowires. By carefully controlling precursor decomposition, catalyst alloying and nanowire nucleation under continuous flow, her team demonstrated highly selective and fast growth of crystalline SnO nanowires. This method shows strong potential as a versatile tool for fabricating a broad range of metal oxide nanowires, with promising applications such as next-generation battery anodes.

Raúl De Armas Rodríguez presented a poster on “SiC Nanowire Polytypism,” which explored the growth mechanisms of silicon carbide nanowires produced via FCCVD. Combining experiments with ab-initio calculations, his work investigated growth rates, surface energies and polytypism selection, providing insights into how reactor conditions affect crystal structure. The study also highlighted correlations between growth environment and the promotion of cubic polytype formation, offering a pathway toward better control of semiconductor nanowire properties.

We are proud of their excellent contributions and grateful for the opportunity to share our research with the international nanowire community in such an inspiring environment.