Designed Growth and Characterization of Radially Aligned Ti5Si3 Nanowire Architectures

Radially aligned and high-density Ti5Si3 nanowire architectures have been designedly obtained on carbon microfibers through a self-assembly growth by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition. The morphology, structure, and composition of obtained nanowires have been characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The results indicate coaxial cable structure of the nanowires, featuring Ti5Si3 nanocore and silicon oxide nanoshell. The growth mechanism of the nanowires has been proposed as a vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) mechanism. Cyclic voltammetry measurement of the nanowires demonstrates that the Ti5Si3 nanowires show evident electrochemical capacitance characteristics, which may find many applications in producing electrochemical nanodevices, such as electrochemical capacitors.