Thermodynamic and experimental study of the interaction of silicon and carbon monoxide: Synthesis of silicon carbide nanofibers

The reaction of crystalline silicon with carbon monoxide to produce silicon carbide was studied. Thermodynamic simulation of the equilibrium phase composition of the nSi-mCO system was carried out in the range 300–2000 K (27–1727°C). Conditions required for silicon carbide was carried out applying various experimental modes (n, m, and T) and possible pathways of the reactions were determined. Interaction between crystalline silicon and carbon monoxide formation in a temperature range of 1000–1450°C. The order of the reaction in CO was found to be close to unity. Silicon carbide nanofibers with thicknesses of from 5 to 100 nm were synthesized and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, mass-spectral elemental analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. A possibility of synthesizing high-purity silicon carbide fibers were experimentally evaluated.