Synthesis and growth mechanism of SiC/SiO2 nanochains by catalyst-free thermal evaporation method in Ar/CO atmosphere
(1. National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology for National Defence on High-strength Structural Materials, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China;
2. Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for High Performance Pitch Based Carbon Materials, Hunan Toyi Carbon Material Technology Co., Ltd., Changsha 410205, China)
2. Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for High Performance Pitch Based Carbon Materials, Hunan Toyi Carbon Material Technology Co., Ltd., Changsha 410205, China)
Abstract: SiC/SiO2 nanochains were synthesized on a carbon fiber substrate by a catalyst-free thermal evaporation method in the Ar/CO atmosphere. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the as-synthesized SiC/SiO2 nanochains are composed of single-crystalline SiC nanowires and amorphous SiO2 beads. The introduction of CO can promote the formation of SiO2, so that the SiC/SiO2 nanochains are subsequently formed during cooling. In addition, the photoluminescence spectrum of SiC/SiO2 nanochains showed a broad emission peak at around 350 nm, which is ascribed to the oxygen discrepancy in the SiO2 beads as well as the SiC/SiO2 interfacial effect. These findings can provide guidance for further study of the vapor growth of 1D SiC-based materials.
Key words: synthesis; growth mechanism; SiC/SiO2 nanochains; thermal evaporation method; carbon monoxide; photoluminescence properties