A nano-island array of approximately 7-nm-diameter Zn single crystals embedded in a SiO2 nanowire was created by using electrospinning and electron-beam irradiation. Bright-field transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images, high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) images, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and fast-Fourier-transformed electron diffraction patterns showed that Zn nanocrystals were created inside the SiO2 nanowire. The formation mechanisms of Zn nanoparticles embedded in a SiO2 nanowire due to the decomposition of ZnO and SiO2 nanoparticles are described on the basis of the HRTEM images and the EDS profiles. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.