Synthesis of Silicon Carbide Nanowires on Carbon Nanotube Template

Single crystalline silicon carbide nanowires (SiCNWs) growing along <111> direction were synthesized on a carbon nanotube (CNT) template. A powder mixture of silicon monoxide (SiO) and iron (II) phthalocyanine, FeC₃₂N₈H₁₆, (FePc) was mechanically ball milled and followed by thermal annealing at 1200 C for 1 hour. Multiwalled CNTs were first produced via pyrolysis of FePc at a lower temperature (1000 C). SiO vapors reacted with the CNTs at higher temperature (1200 C) to produce SiCNWs. The mechanical ball milling process plays an important role for the formation of cylindrical CNTs and SiCNWs. Without this ball milling process, the end products were amorphous silicon oxycarbide nanowires (SiOCNWs) even using the same starting materials under the same annealing conditions