Large-scale synthesis of beta-SiC nanorods in the arc-discharge

SiC nanorods sheathed in amorphous SiO2 were synthesized in mass by an arc- discharging approach, using a SiC rod containing iron impurity as the anode , and were characterized by SEM, TEM, EDX and XRD. The prepared nanorods po ssess a beta -SiC crystal core with a uniform diameter of 5-20 nm and an am orphous SiO2 wrapping layer tens of nanometers in thickness, and their leng ths range from hundreds of nanometers to several micrometers. A possible gr owth mechanism is discussed. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.