A simple large-scale synthesis of coaxial nanocables: Silicon carbide sheathed with silicon oxide

We reported a simple method to synthesize coaxial nanocables with silicon carbide core and amorphous silicon oxide sheath just by exposure of Au-coated silicon substrates to carbon monoxide at 1100 °C. The as-grown product was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The obtained nanocables were in large scale, several tens of micrometers long, with the core a few nanometers to ten or more nanometers in diameter. The vapor-liquid-solid mechanism was proposed to elucidate the growth process.