Periodically Structured Silicon Carbide Nanowires Obtained by Annealing the Mechanically-Alloyed Amorphous 2SiB3CN Powder

The mechanically-alloyed amorphous 2SiB3CN powder was used as the precursor for the preparation of SiC nanowires in the current work. Annealed at 1700 °C in argon for 2 hrs, the composite powder was covered by a large amount of grey-green SiC nanowires. SEM, TEM and XRD results reveal that the nanowires are 200 to 1000 nanometers in diameter and hundreds of micrometers in length. Bamboo-shaped and nodular-like β-SiC nanowire accounts for the major part of the products. The bamboo-shaped nanowires have perfect periodicity and periodically distributed stacking faults. Further research indicates that traces of iron in raw powders acts as catalyst, promoting the V-L-S process of the nanowire growth. Current route provides a new method for the large-scale preparation of the periodically structured SiC nanowires, which may find applications in nano sensors, optoelectronic devices, etc.