Single-crystalline hafnium carbide nanowire growth below the eutectic temperature by CVD

Single-crystalline hafnium carbide (HfC) nanowires were synthesized by a Ni-catalyst-assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method at 1025 C below the eutectic temperature (TE). The synthesized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). XRD and EDX results indicate that well stoichiometric HfC nanowires were obtained. SEM and TEM investigations show the HfC nanowires possess typical diameters of ~50 nm and lengths of tens of microns. Most of the nanowires are grown along âŒ