Deposition of carbon nanotubes on Si nanowires by chemical vapor deposition

By using a hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) method, deposition of carbon on Si nanowires (Si NWs) has been studied. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were found to form on the surfaces of Si NWs at 900°C with a good surface coverage and adherence. However, as the temperature of deposition increased to 1000°C, Si cores tended to transform into β-SiC cores and the carbon layers grown on β-SiC cores were distorted. When the temperature of deposition was as high as 1100°C, the carbon layers bucked openly to form many feather-like carbon sheets sprouting from the surface of the nanowires. A mixture of large carbon sheets and β-SiC nanowires was formed when the temperature was over 1300°C.