US Patent 7858181 - Si nanowires grown from Au nanocrystals

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7858181.html

Much of the early work and basic patents in fabricating nanowires over the past decade has been credited to Charles Lieber's group at Harvard but this patent from Brian Korgel of the University of Texas at Austin includes some claims which may be equally fundamental with a priority date of July 8, 2003. Claim 1 reads:

1. Crystalline nanowires comprising a group IV metal, which are substantially straight and substantially free of group IV metal nanoparticles; wherein each of the nanowires further comprises a non-group IV metallic nanocrystal at one end of the nanowire.