Highly spherical SiC nanoparticles grown in nonthermal plasma

Abstract

AbstractSilicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles have excellent properties and varied possible applications. However, the synthesis of this material usually requires high temperatures due to its high melting point (2730°C). In this study, we report on a synthesis of highly spherical SiC nanocrystals (50–150 nm) using nonthermal plasma, a method not yet widely employed for the synthesis of SiC, but generally very suitable for high‐melting‐point materials. We perform the synthesis in a two‐stage reactor, where Si nanocrystals are synthesized in the first stage and these are used as growth seeds for SiC in the second stage. The Si nanocrystals remain inside the SiC nanoparticles after the synthesis. The produced SiC nanocrystals exhibit yellow‐orange naked‐eye‐visible photoluminescence.