Three-dimensional crystalline SiC nanowire flowers

Several techniques have already been developed for synthesizing silicon carbide (SiC) material in the form of nanospheres and nanowires/rods. Here, we report the synthesis of a distinctly different kind of SiC nanostructure in the form of three-dimensional crystalline nanowire-based flower-like structures. Interest in such structures centres around the combination of a simple growth process based on SiC nanowire formation, with a resultant structure having potentially complex mechanical and optical properties, the latter a consequence of the wide band gap of bulk SiC. The synthesis of these SiC nanowire flowers is via a vapour–liquid–solid (VLS) process, on which a detailed study of both the chemical and structural composition has been carried out.