Synthesis of HfC nanowires on carbon fibers by a novel catalyst-assisted pyrolysis using HfCl4 as precursor

Abstract

The synthesis of hafnium carbide nanowires (HfCNWs) on carbon fibers was successfully achieved by employing HfCl4 and furfuryl alcohol as precursor materials, facilitated by Ni-assisted catalytic pyrolysis. In the polymerization and cross-linking processes of furfuryl alcohol, hafnium cations play a crucial role, leading to the atomic-level amalgamation and effectively enhancing the reactivity of the Hf-O-C system. The nucleation of HfCNWs takes place at 1300 °C, followed by growth through a solid-liquid-solid (SLS) mechanism. Carbon fibers were uniformly coated with tens micrometer-long HfCNWs having an approximate diameter of 500 nm. Notably, the tips of these HfCNWs exhibited clean surfaces free of Ni catalyst particles, indicating their root growth model. This novel catalyst-assisted pyrolysis method holds great potential for enabling cost-effective large-scale production of transition metal carbide nanowires.