Fabrication of silicon nanowire on freestanding multiwalled carbon nanotubes by chemical vapor deposition

•A simple approach to fabricate the freestanding 3D MWNT/SiNW hybrids was reported.•XRD, SEM and TEM were used to examine the hybrids structure.•The possible formation mechanism of SiNWs on MWNT is proposed.•Potential electrochemical applications.

The multi-walled carbon nanotube-silicon nanowire (MWNT/SiNW) hybrids are important materials to meet the requirements of energy storage devices. We fabricated novel freestanding MWNT/SiNW hybrids by growing SiNWs directly on MWNT network via chemical vapor deposition. Gold (Au) was employed as catalyst and the influence of catalyst on the morphology of hybrids was investigated. The results indicated that tuning the thickness of Au layer could serve as a means to control the structure of MWNT/SiNW hybrids. The formation of SiNWs on the surface of MWNTs mainly depended on Au nanoparticles migrating into larger eutectic Au–Si alloy, and the abundant Si depositing on MWNTs improved the connections among MWNTs and SiNWs mechanically and electrically.