Molten salt assisted synthesis of 3C–SiC nanowire and its photoluminescence properties

Single crystalline silicon carbide nanowires (SiC NWs) were prepared through the carbothermal reduction route using silica fume and phenolic resin in a molten salt (NaCl and NaF) medium at 1450 °C. The presence of molten salts was found to have a noticeable effect on the complete conversion of SiO2 to 3C–SiC with the temperature increasing from 1300 °C to 1450 °C, and NaF/NaCl ratios and molten salts/reactant ratios also played vital roles in the growth of SiC NWs. The as-achieved SiC NWs were 100–150 nm in diameter and 10 μm in length, which grew along the direction perpendicular to the (111) plane and contained stacking faults (SFs). The as-synthesized SiC NWs had a strong emission peak (422 nm) located in the violet–blue spectral range, suggesting potential applications in optoelectronic devices. All these discoveries suggest a cheap and feasible route for large scale growth of high quality SiC NWs at low temperature.