One-step molten-salt-mediated preparation and luminescent properties of ultra-long SiC/SiO2 core-shell nanowires

Ultra-long SiC/SiO2 core shell nanowires were successfully prepared on a graphite felt with Ni(NO3)(2) coating by a straightforward molten-salt-mediated carbothermal reduction route using silica fume and phenolic resin as starting materials at 1400 degrees C. The as-synthesized nanowires, 150-500 nm in diameter and up to several hundred microns in length, comprised a crystalline 3C-SiC core with a thin amorphous SiO2 shell (about 30 nm). The growth mechanism of the as-synthesized nanowires was most likely controlled by the combination of vapor liquid solid and the vapor solid mechanism. The photoluminescence spectrum of the ultra-long core shell SiC/SiO2 nanowires exhibited a significant blue-shift, indicating a potential application in optoelectronic devices. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.