Iodine assisted low temperature synthesis of 3C-SiC nanostructures and their formation process

3C-SiC nanostructures have been synthesized from Si, maltose or glucose and Mg at 120 degrees C in the presence of I2. The as-obtained products are the mixtures of wire-like and tower-shaped SiC nanostructures. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show that wire-like nanostructures are formed by the leaning-type packing of triangular nanosheets with the average diameter of 60 nm and tower-shaped nanostructures are formed by the level-type packing of nanosheets with the average diameter of 750 nm and thickness of about 40 nm. The effects of iodine, reaction time and temperature on the morphologies of the final products were also discussed.