Trigonal selenium (t-Se) nanowires were fabricated via a facile solution-phase approach at room temperature. Time-dependent experiments were designed to explore the mechanism of the transition of a-Se to t-Se both in solution and in solid phases. It was found that the extended spiral chains of selenium atoms in the trigonal phase provided a natural template to define and guide the growth direction. The transition of a-Se to t-Se nanowire can happen not only in a solid-solution-solid process, but also in a solid to solid process. The synthesis method will provide a new approach for research on its performance.

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