Silicon carbide (SiC) nanorods were prepared via reacting silicon nanopowders and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) for 4h at 1100-1200ºC in a molten NaCl-NaF binary salt in Ar atmosphere. The synthesised SiC nanorods were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), and spherical aberration-corrected FEGTEM. XRD results revealed that MWCNTs had converted into SiC after firing at 1200ºC. HRTEM

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... bservation showed a complex stacking sequence aligned along the SiC-rod direction. Combination of EELS and aberration-corrected FEGTEM illustrated the resulting nanorod composed of 3C-SiC and some stacking faults. The synthesised SiC nanorods to a large extent retained the morphology of CNT reactants, indicating that the "template-growth" mechanism had dominated the synthesis process. The conversion of MWCNTs into SiC nanorods was strongly dependent on reaction temperature and salt composition. It was found that molten NaCl-NaF binary salts could effectively accelerate the SiC formation.