Selective Co-catalysed growth of novel MgO fishbone fractal nanostructures

Novel MgO fishbone- or fern-like nanostructures, and Al2O3 fibre networks, have been generated for the first time from an Al2O3 matrix containing MgO and SiO2. The significance of the selective Co-catalysed growth of the elegant three-dimensional fractal fishbones is discussed. We have adopted the vapour–liquid–solid (V–L–S) and nucleation–aggregation (N–A) mechanisms, which take effect equally during the heating process, to account for the formation of these uniquely stacked fractal structures.