Formation of SiC nano-micro rods from silica-sol infiltrated bamboo charcoal through carbothermal reduction

Carbonized bamboo was vacuum-infiltrated by a tetraethylorthosilicate solution and then heated at 1450℃ for 5h under an Ar atmosphere to prepare SiC nano-micro rods. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that many nano-micro rods with diameters of 100-500nm and length of around 30μm formed hexagonal layers that stacked to form a bamboo-like morphology. X-ray energy-dispersive spectra and X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the nano-micro rods were mainly silicon carbide. It was further found that nearly all the SiC nano-micro rods were located in the ducts derived from the tubular tissue of the bamboo and the weight gain by the infiltration determined the morphology and yield of the SiC nano-micro rods. This study indicates that bamboo would be an ideal biological template for preparing SiC nano-micro rods on a large scale.