Synthesis and growth mechanism of various SiO2 nanostructures from straight to helical morphologies. (15th September 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tian, Wei; Liu, Siyan; Deng, Longjiang; Mahmood, Nasir; Jian, Xian
• Is Part Of: Composites. Number 149(2018)
• Page Start: 92
• Page End: 98
• Publication Date: 2018-09-15
• Subjects: Silicon oxide -- Nanostructures -- Catalytic chemical vapor deposition -- Helical nanofibers; Composite materials -- Periodicals; Materials science -- Periodicals; Composite materials; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 620.118
• DOI: 10.1016/j.compositesb.2018.05.025
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1359-8368

Abstract

Abstract: Taking into account the high demands and applications of amorphous SiO2 in various nanostructured forms, here we have synthesized various nanostructures of SiO2 including nanosprings, straight nanofibers, nanotubes and nanobelts. A simple catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) technique is developed where Si, SiO2 and graphene capsules are utilized as starting materials. The structural and chemical analysis of the as-prepared nanostructures confirms the amorphous nature of SiO2 and shows the minor existence of SiC, which acts as a growth directing agent for various shapes of SiO2 . The electron microscopic observations delineate the morphologies of the as-prepared nanostructures with different shapes i.e. nano-fibers, tubes, springs and belts. It is observed that straight SiO2 fibers having diameter of ∼440 nm are thicker than the fibers (∼220 nm) constructing the nanosprings while the overall helical diameter falls in the range of 530–690 nm. The in-depth structural and morphological studies reveal that the growth mechanism of SiO2 nanostructures is in the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth mode. The unique microstructures with special morphologies straight, helical and hollow shapes make them potential candidate for several functional applications such as nanoelectron-magnetic devices, mechanical sensor system and flexible energy storage devices.