Thermochemistry and growth mechanism of SiC nanowires

The chemical reaction thermodynamics of SiC nanowires synthesized by carbothermal reduction reactions was investigated, and a novel two-stage growth mechanism was proposed. The growth mechanism involved the formation of initial SiC embryos by heterogeneous nucleation and the growth of SiC nanowires by a gas-phase reaction. The process involved the fast formation of gaseous SiO and CO crucial intermediates, and the further carbon reduction of SiO to SiC.309