J Zhu et al 2007 Nanotechnology 18 365603 doi:10.1088/0957-4484/18/36/365603
J Zhu1,2, Z Liu2, X L Wu2,4, L L Xu2, W C Zhang2 and Paul K Chu3
Show affiliationsUp to now, it is still a great challenge to obtain bulk quantities of luminescent 3C-SiC nanocrystals with sizes smaller than 10 nm, which have quantum confinement effect. We report in this paper on the fabrication of 3C-SiC nanocrystals via a chemical etching of microscale 3C-SiC grains and ultrasonic vibration. The sizes of the as-prepared 3C-SiC nanocrystals are smaller than 6.5 nm and have a centric distribution with the maximal probability of 3.6 nm. Due to the quantum confinement effect, the suspension of the 3C-SiC nanocrystals exhibits a tunable photoluminescence (PL), which is visible with the naked eye. As the excitation line increases from 260 to 480 nm, the PL peak position changes from 420 to 512 nm. Spectral analysis and microstructural observations show that the chemical etching leads to the formation of a weakly interconnected nanostructure network in the large 3C-SiC grains and subsequent ultrasonic vibration crumbles the interconnected network, forming small-size 3C-SiC nanocrystals.
78.67.Bf Nanocrystals and nanoparticles
78.55.Hx Other solid inorganic materials
62.65.+k Acoustical properties of solids
Condensed matter: electrical, magnetic and optical
Surfaces, interfaces and thin films
Issue 36 (12 September 2007)
Received 1 June 2007, in final form 10 July 2007
Published 10 August 2007
J Zhu et al 2007 Nanotechnology 18 365603
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