Effect of surface bond and quantum confinement effect on photoluminescence properties of SiC nanowires in different solvents

Abstract

Two kinds of SiC nanowires exhibiting different structures were fabricated by carbothermal reduction method and subsequent wet chemical etching. Strong and tunable ultraviolet to green emission peaks emerged in the photoluminescence spectra of both kinds of SiC nanowires in water and ethanol suspensions with the increase of excitation wavelength from 260 nm to 480 nm. The strong and distinctive ultraviolet emission originates from the quantum confinement effect of the nanoplatelets with a thickness less than 3 nm and the effects of Si–OH and Si–OR (R: ethoxy group) on the SiC nanowire surface. The blue emission derived from the SiC nanowires in different solvents is due to the combined effect of the nanoplatelet thickness, which meets the theoretical prediction value (3–5.4 nm), and surface bonds. The weaker green emission can be attributed to the large SiC nanowires and surface bonds caused by Si–OR and Si–OH.

Keywords:

• SiC nanowire
• photoluminescence
• surface bond
• quantum confinement

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Scientific Research Program funded by the Education Department of Shaanxi Province [No. 18JK0281] and the Scientific Research Projects of Weinan Normal University [No. 18ZRRC15].