Growing SiC nanowires on modified SiC fibers surface via a chemical vapor deposition route

Abstract

SiC nanowires were grown successfully on the surface of SiC fibers via an in situ chemical vapor deposition (CVD) route with Fe(NO3)3 as catalyst. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and dimethylformamide (DMF) were mixed to prepare surface modification agent which was used for surface grafting treatment of SiC fibers. The changes of surface chemical groups between modified and non-modified SiC fibers were analyzed by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The as grown products were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM). The results show that the surface modification could bring COOH groups onto the surface of SiC fibers, which could strongly improve the interfacial adhesion strength between fibers surface and catalyst particles. In addition, the surface modification can also make the catalytic particles distribute uniformly throughout the fiber surface which provided a good surface condition for the growth of SiC nanowires.