Silicon nanochains preparation with hydrothermal synthesis

Silicon nanochains over 1 μm in length and 50–100 nm in diameter have been synthesized by hydrothermal synthesis with silicon powders as start materials and de-ionized water as reaction medium, the growth condition was controlled at 470 °C and 9.7 MPa in a sealed reaction kettle. The morphology and microstructure of the production were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED); the results revealed that the silicon nanochains have diamond structure. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrum (EDS) was used to analyze the composition of the final production and the possible growth mechanism of silicon nanochain under supercritical hydrothermal condition was proposed.