Synthesis and Characterization of Amorphous Silicon Nitride Nanoparticals and α-Silicon Nitride Nanowires

Abstract

Amorphous Silicon nitride (Si3N4) nanoparticles were synthesized by the reaction of SiCl4 with Na-NH3 solution, Silicon nitride (Si3N4) nanowires have been successfully prepared via direct crystallization of amorphous Si3N4 nanoparticles under high temperature in a N2 flow. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution electron microscopy, and electron diffraction. They are pure a-phase hexagonal single-crystal structures. The nanowires are long and smooth. The formation mechanism of the nanowires appears to be a solid-liquid-solid (SLS) mechanism.