Fabrication of β-SiC quantum dots by photo-assisted electrochemical corrosion of bulk powders

Silicon carbide (SiC) quantum dots (QDs) are eminent candidates for various applications ranging from bioimaging and energy conversion, to optics. In this communication we describe a new top-down method for producing SiC QDs (< 10 nm) from bulk powder (> 50 nm) and slurry. Photo-assisted electrochemical etching is employed to obtain the quantum-sized clusters. We show that the process (hence, the amount of QDs synthesized as well as their size) can be controlled via regulating time as confirmed by both high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and photoluminescence data. The presented method may serve as a new avenue to prepare size-controlled nanoparticles of different semiconductors.