Controlled Growth of One-Dimensional 3C-SiC Nanostructures with Stable Morphology

Abstract Understanding which morphology is most stable for one-dimensional (1D) SiC nanostructures at high temperature with long-term operation is highly desired since it is vitally important for the development of reliable SiC nanostructures-based devices for use in harsh working conditions. In this communication, we report the controlled growth of 1D 3C–SiC nanostructures with tailored morphologies based on catalyst-assisted polymeric pyrolysis by controlling the applied temperatures. The results demonstrated that cylindrically shaped 1D SiC nanostructures are unstable and can be gradually transformed into triangular prisms via surface diffusion at high temperatures. We demonstrate that this morphology transformation was realized mainly by rearranging energized atoms onto low-index SiC nanostructure surfaces, which is due to the requirement of reducing the overall surface energy. The obtained triangular prisms had smooth surfaces, thereby suggesting a stable morphology (equilibrium crystal shapes). Our results demonstrate that stability can be a contributing factor for reliable application of 1D SiC nanostructures under high temperature.