In situ growth of silicon carbide-carbon nanotube composites

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have great potential for a variety of applications out of which composite reinforcement is the most promising one. Silicon carbide (SiC) with its unique properties is expected to enable significant enhancements in the existing properties of CNTs to a far-ranging variety of applications and systems. In this report SiC-CNT composites through the novel route of d.c. arc discharge technique using silicon powder as a filler in a graphite anode have been prepared. Structural characterization of these composites was studied using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy techniques and further spectroscopic characteristics were investigated using a photoluminescence spectrometer. The XRD results confirm the formation of SiC along the 111 plane (35.6°, d spacing 0.25 nm), which agreed with the d spacing values calculated from the fringes of HRTEM images. Further, the shifting in the Raman peak of SiC confirms the successful synthesis of SiC-CNT composites.