Single-crystalline alpha silicon–nitride nanowires: Large-scale synthesis, characterization, and optic properties

Abstract

Single-crystalline alpha silicon–nitride nanowires have been achieved with large scale by the reaction of Mg3N2 and SiCl4 at 600 °C. Electron microscopy analyses have revealed that the nanowires have only ∼35nm in diameter, up to 5 μm in length, and a preferred [001] growth direction. The nanowires exhibit the quantum size effect in optical properties, showing the redshift of an infrared band and the blueshift of the photoluminescence band. The growth mechanism of the nanowires have been properly discussed.