Synthesis of titanium carbide nanowires

A simple method for synthesizing titanium carbide (TiC) nanowires is demonstrated. TiC nanowires with a covered layer of graphite can be synthesized by the reaction of TiO gas with methane in the presence of a catalyst containing Fe. This graphite layer can be effectively removed by heating as-synthesized samples to 600 degreesC in air. The length of TiC nanowires is several hundreds of microns and their diameters range from 30 to 100nm. A growth mechanism of TiC nanowires involves vapor-liquid-solid reaction. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.