Solid–liquid–solid (SLS) growth of coaxial nanocables: silicon carbide sheathed with silicon oxide

Coaxial silicon carbide–silicon oxide nanocables on silicon substrates were synthesized from the ternary system of Si–Ni–C at 950°C under Ar/H2 atmosphere. The nanocables consist of a hexagonal crystalline SiC core and a surface layer of amorphous silicon oxide, which have an average diameter of ∼50 nm and a length of several tens of microns. The microstructure and composition of the nanocables were characterized using high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HREM), and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), and the growth mechanism of the nanocables was explained under the framework of a solid–liquid–solid (SLS) mechanism.