Nanostructures and methods of fabrication thereof are disclosed. One representative nanostructure includes a silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2)/tin oxide (SnO.sub.x) nanostructure, where x is between about 1 to about 2. The SiO.sub.2/SnO.sub.x nanostructure includes a SiO.sub.2 nanostructure having SnO.sub.x nanoclusters dispersed over a portion of the surface of the SiO.sub.2 nanostructure.