Molten salt electrosynthesis of silicon carbide nanoparticles and their photoluminescence property
(1. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Special Steel & Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Ferrometallurgy, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China;
2. Institute of Mathematics and Physics, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth SY23 3BZ, UK;
3. School of Materials Science, Shanghai Dianji University, Shanghai 201306, China)
2. Institute of Mathematics and Physics, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth SY23 3BZ, UK;
3. School of Materials Science, Shanghai Dianji University, Shanghai 201306, China)
Abstract: A one-step molten salt electrochemical strategy was proposed to synthesize SiC nanoparticles from ultra-fine silicon dioxide/carbon (SiO2/C) mixtures. The electrosynthesis process and physicochemical properties of the synthesized products were systematically analyzed via X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy, etc. A combined chemical/electrochemical reaction, electrochemical deoxidation, and in-situ carbonization reaction mechanism was proposed to reveal the electrochemical synthesis process of SiC nanoparticles from SiO2/C in molten CaCl2. The as-prepared SiC with particle size ranging from 8 to 14 nm possesses a polycrystalline structure. In addition, the SiC nanoparticles demonstrate obvious photoluminescence property due to the synergetic size effect and microstructural characteristics.
Key words: SiC; nanomaterials; molten salt electrosynthesis; deoxidation; photoluminescence