A nanoscale core-shell of β-SiCP–Ni prepared by electroless plating at lower temperature

A nanoscale core-shell structure of β-SiCP–Ni was prepared at lower temperature by a simple and convenient electroless plating approach. The core-shell structure was characterized by means of SEM, TEM images and the components were analyzed using EDS. The results showed that β-SiC nanoparticles (β-SiCP) were coated by an uniform and continuous nickel shell with the thickness of 2 nm. Moreover, it was confirmed that the optimal temperature and the solution pH value for electroless plating were of 45 °C and 9.0, respectively. The mechanism for the formation of the core-shell structure of β-SiCP–Ni was discussed in detail.