Plasma-enabled growth of single-crystalline SiC/AlSiC core-shell nanowires on porous alumina templates

Abstract

We report the catalyst-free synthesis of the arrays of core-shell, ultrathin, size-uniform SiC/AlSiC nanowires on the top of a periodic anodic aluminum oxide template. The nanowires were grown using an environmentally friendly, silane-free process by exposing the silicon supported porous alumina template to CH 4 + H 2 plasmas. High-resolution scanning and transmission electron microscopy studies revealed that the nanowires have a single-crystalline core with a diameter of about 10 nm and a thin (1-2 nm) amorphous AlSiC shell. Because of their remarkable length, high aspect ratio, and very high surface area-to-volume ratio, these unique structures are promising for nanoelectronic and nanophot..