Growth of SiC nanowires using oil palm empty fruit bunch fibres infiltrated with tetraethyl orthosilicate

SiC nanowires were produced by pyrolyzing oil palm empty fruit bunch fibres infiltrated with tetraethyl orthosilicate. The effects of the concentration of TEOS (10%, 50% and 100%) and the pyrolysis temperatures (1250 °C, 1300 °C, 1350 °C and 1400 °C) were studied. An increase in TEOS concentration led to an increment in silica content. However, when TEOS was infiltrated into the fibres, the small sizes of the lumens in the oil palm fibres and low fluidity of TEOS resulted in lower amount of silica deposited onto the surface when the concentration was increased to 100%. This in turn resulted in a lower yield of SiC nanowires at higher TEOS concentration. When pyrolysis temperature was raised, there was a decrease in diameter but the lengths of nanowires reached tens of μm. The growth of the nanowires was attributed to the combination of solid-state reaction and vapour–solid growth mechanisms.

Graphical abstractSiC nanowires formed by pyrolyzing TEOS-infiltrated oil palm empty fruit bunch fibres.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Ability to grow SiC nanowires by pyrolysing TEOS-infiltrated oil palm fibre waste.► Observation of lower yield of SiC nanowires at higher TEOS concentration.► A decreasing trend in diameter with increasing pyrolysis temperature.► Nanowire growth attributed to combination of solid-state and vapour–solid reactions.