CHEMICAL-VAPOR-DEPOSITION OF BETA-SIC NANOWIRES ON GRANULAR ACTIVE-CARBON CYLINDERS LOADED WITH IRON NANOPARTICLES INSIDE THE PORES

A new method for chemical vapor deposition of beta-SiC nanowires on gr anular active carbon loaded with iron nanoparticles inside the pores i s developed. In this process, mesoporous active carbon was used as bot h a carbon source material and a template to generate nanometer-diamet er catalyst particles that define the size of wires produced by vapor- liquid-solid (VLS) growth. Transmission electron microscopy reveals th at the products are nanowires with several microns in length and about 10 nm in diameter. Selected area electron-diffraction and energy-disp ersed x-ray spectra confirm that the productor is beta-SiC. The observ ation of spherical nanoparticles containing iron at the end of the nan owires clearly indicates that the nanowires grow by the VLS mechanism.