Growth, structure, and optical properties of carbon-reinforced silica fibers

1077-3118

AIP Digital Archive

Physics

We report the synthesis of carbon-reinforced silica fibers by methane exposure of metallocene-treated oxidized-Si(001) substrates at 1100 °C. The SiO2 cap layer transforms into silica fibers reinforced by glassy carbon in the core during methane exposure. High-resolution electron microscopy and spatially resolved spectroscopy measurements of the fibers reveal an amorphous structure without a hollow, and domains of glassy carbon embedded at the fiber core. The carbon-reinforced fibers are optically transparent and have an optical band gap of (similar, equals)3.1 eV. These fibers are organized in radial patterns that vary for different metallocene species. On nickelocene-treated substrates, the fibers originate from the circumference of the circular templates and grow outwards, forming radial patterns. On ferrocene-treated substrates, randomly oriented fibers grow within as well as slightly outside the perimeter of the templates, forming wreath-like patterns. Aligned growth of such fibers could be useful for fabricating optoelectronics devices and reinforced composites. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.

Electronic Resource