Production of nanoscale particles and nanorods of SiC from sorghum leaves

Abstract

Microwave processing and conventional furnace heating of dried sorghum leaves at temperatures in excess of 1400°C in either vacuum or inert atmosphere produced nanoscale particles and nanorods of silicon carbide (SiC). This simple and fast method of producing SiC nanoparticles from sorghum leaves, an agriculture waste, expands on the varied approaches designed toward the mass production of SiC nanoparticles that are potentially pertinent for electronics, optics, biotechnology and structural material applications. Using X-ray diffraction it was found that the processed samples consisted of β (3C)-SiC phase, which was confirmed using transmission electron microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the formation of nanorods along [111] direction with the presence of stacking faults orthogonal to this direction. The presence of 6H/4H-SiC stacking faults in the 3C phase is explained in terms of their total formation energies. The nanostructures described here can lead to nanoscale optics in the mid-IR such as surface phonon polariton resonators, mid-IR metamaterials, chemical and molecular sensors, nanoscale electronics and high tensile strength filaments for structural composite materials.