Gallium nitride (GaN) nanowires, grown on gold-coated n-type Si(1 0 0) substrates, were synthesized using the vapor-phase epitaxy method. The grown GaN nanowires, with diameters in the range 20-60 nm and lengths of several micrometers, were uniformly distributed on Si Substrates. The GaN nanowires were grown via a vapor-liquid-solid mechanism. The characteristics of the grown GaN were investigated using X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman, and transmission electron microscopy, which found that the GaN nanowires on the Si(1 0 0) are of good crystalline quality. The electron field emission properties of the GaN nanowires (at room temperature) showed a low turn-on field of similar to 3.96 V/mu m and a Held enhancement factor of similar to 1050. The sharp ends and rough surfaces of the GaN nanowires are responsible for their good field emission properties. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.