In situ synthesis and characterization of pure SiC nanowires on silicon wafer

A simple template/catalyst-free chemical vapor growth process was developed for growing SiC nanowire directly on silicon wafers. The nanowires were identified as single crystalline β-phase SiC growing along <1 1 1> direction. The nanowires possess Si-C chemistry. The length and thickness of the nanowires are generally from several tens to over 100 μm and ∼80 nm, respectively. The process also demonstrated the possibility of in situ deposition of thin graphite coatings on the SiC nanowires. A contribution of present work to the applications of SiC nanowires, especially as reinforcement materials in ceramic nanocomposites, is expected.