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Synthesis of Silicon and Silicon Carbide Nanoparticles by Pulsed Electrical Discharges in Dielectric Liquids

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Abstract

Silicon carbide (SiC) has been widely used in many applications, which require high mechanical endurance or high electrical resistance. It also serves as a basic material for light emitting diodes. Here, we present an in-liquid plasma method to produce SiC nanoparticles. A sustained spark-discharge in a dielectric liquid, which is energized by a nanosecond pulsed power supply, is established for the synthesis. To provide Si and C, we employed graphite and silicon as electrodes and cyclohexane (CHX) and tetramethylsilane (TMS) as dielectric liquids. For a reasonable comparison, we tested various combinations of electrode and liquid, namely Si-to-C in CHX, Si-to-Si in CHX, and C-to-C in TMS. We found that discharges in CHX produce Si particles encapsulated in C-shell and Si nanoparticles in C-matrix. Meanwhile, discharges in TMS consistently produce SiC nanoparticles with an average size of ~ 10 nm, regardless of the electrode material.

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Acknowledgements

This publication is based upon work supported by the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) under Award No. OSR-2020-CPF-1975.37. The authors thank the Fonds de Recherche du Québec–Nature et Technologie (FRQ-NT) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for funding the research infrastructure.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Groupe de Physique des Plasmas, Département de Physique, Université de Montréal, 1375 Avenue Thérèse-Lavoie-Roux, Montréal, Québec, H2V 0B3, Canada

    Ahmad Hamdan & Douaa El Abiad

  2. Physical Science and Engineering Division (PSE), Clean Combustion Research Center (CCRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia

    Min Suk Cha

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  1. Ahmad Hamdan
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  2. Douaa El Abiad
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Correspondence to Ahmad Hamdan.

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Hamdan, A., Abiad, D.E. & Cha, M.S. Synthesis of Silicon and Silicon Carbide Nanoparticles by Pulsed Electrical Discharges in Dielectric Liquids. Plasma Chem Plasma Process 41, 1647–1660 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11090-021-10205-3

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