Synthesis and Characterization of Single Crystalline Hafnium Carbide Nanowires

Hafnium carbide (HfC) is the most refractory compound known to mankind. A catalyst-assisted chemical vapor deposition method has been applied to synthesize contaminant-layer-free single crystalline HfC nanowires. The nanowires have diameter of 20–80 nm and length of several tens of microns. High-resolution transmission electron microscope images and electron diffraction patterns show that most of the nanowires grew in the direction. Morphological and compositional analyses confirmed that the nanowire growth followed the vapor-liquid-solid mechanism. Field ion microscopy has also been used to reveal the surface structure of the tip of the nanowires.