Synthesis of silicon carbide nanotubes by chemical vapor deposition

Silicon carbide nanotubes (SiCNTs) were directly synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) in the paper. Methyltrichlorosilane (MTS) was selected as the SiC gaseous source and, ferrocence and thiophene as the catalyst and the cocatalyst, respectively. The influences of reaction temperature, contents of catalyst and cocatalyst, and content of gaseous source on the morphologies of the products were investigated, respectively. The products were identified by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), respectively. The synthesis of SiCNTs by CVD suggested a condition-dependent process. Novel SiCNTs, with 20 approximately 80 nm in outer diameter and 15 approximately 35 nm in inner diameter, respectively, were observed. The wall structure similar to that of carbon nanotubes was not found for the SiCNTs.