TY - JOUR
T1 - Synthesis of carbon films by electrochemical etching of SiC with hydrofluoric acid in nonaqueous solvents
AU - Senthilnathan, Jaganathan
AU - Weng, Chih Chiang
AU - Tsai, Wen Ta
AU - Gogotsi, Yury
AU - Yoshimura, Masahiro
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors are grateful to Prof. Jiunn-Der Liao (Department of Material Science and Engineering, NCKU) and Dr. Sung-Ting Chung for experimental help and discussions. HR-TEM, SEM, EDX, and Raman spectroscopy analyses were performed at the Department of Material Science, National Cheng Kung University Tainan, Taiwan. The effort at Drexel University was supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering under award ER46473 .
PY - 2014/5
Y1 - 2014/5
N2 - Carbon films on SiC have many applications, ranging from tribology to electrical energy storage. Formation of epitaxial or heteroepitaxial layers of carbon on SiC by "soft solution process," such as electro- or photochemical ones, is attractive for various fields of application, decreasing the energy consumption and making the process compatible with electronic device fabrication. We have demonstrated formation of a carbon layer on SiC ceramics by electrochemical etching in a nonaqueous electrolyte. The selective etching of Si from SiC in a single step reaction with hydrofluoric acid (HF) in different organic solvents has been carried out and the role of polarity, surface tension, density, and viscosity of the organic solvents in the formation of the carbon layer has been investigated. The solution of 1:4.6 ratio HF and ethanol at low current densities (10 and 20 mA/cm2) allows the best control over selective etching of Si forming amorphous and ordered carbon on the SiC surface. The presence of an intense G band of graphitic carbon in Raman spectra and high resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis indicate formation of ordered carbon on the surface of SiC. X-ray diffraction shows that the etching rate of α-SiC is much higher when compared to β-SiC.
AB - Carbon films on SiC have many applications, ranging from tribology to electrical energy storage. Formation of epitaxial or heteroepitaxial layers of carbon on SiC by "soft solution process," such as electro- or photochemical ones, is attractive for various fields of application, decreasing the energy consumption and making the process compatible with electronic device fabrication. We have demonstrated formation of a carbon layer on SiC ceramics by electrochemical etching in a nonaqueous electrolyte. The selective etching of Si from SiC in a single step reaction with hydrofluoric acid (HF) in different organic solvents has been carried out and the role of polarity, surface tension, density, and viscosity of the organic solvents in the formation of the carbon layer has been investigated. The solution of 1:4.6 ratio HF and ethanol at low current densities (10 and 20 mA/cm2) allows the best control over selective etching of Si forming amorphous and ordered carbon on the SiC surface. The presence of an intense G band of graphitic carbon in Raman spectra and high resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis indicate formation of ordered carbon on the surface of SiC. X-ray diffraction shows that the etching rate of α-SiC is much higher when compared to β-SiC.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.carbon.2014.01.028
DO - 10.1016/j.carbon.2014.01.028
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84894639134
VL - 71
SP - 181
EP - 189
JO - Carbon
JF - Carbon
SN - 0008-6223
ER -