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Preparation of small silicon carbide quantum dots by wet chemical etching

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 July 2012

David Beke ,
Zsolt Szekrényes ,
István Balogh ,
Zsolt Czigány ,
Katalin Kamarás  and
Adam Gali
David Beke*
Affiliation:
Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics, Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1525 Budapest, Hungary; and Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, H-1111 Budapest, Hungary
Zsolt Szekrényes
Affiliation:
Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics, Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1525 Budapest, Hungary
István Balogh
Affiliation:
Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics, Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1525 Budapest, Hungary
Zsolt Czigány
Affiliation:
Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, Research Centre of Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1525 Budapest, Hungary
Katalin Kamarás
Affiliation:
Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics, Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1525 Budapest, Hungary
Adam Gali
Affiliation:
Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics, Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1525 Budapest, Hungary; and Department of Atomic Physics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, H-1111 Budapest, Hungary
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: beke.david@wigner.mta.hu
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Abstract

Fabrication of nanosized silicon carbide (SiC) crystals is a crucial step in many biomedical applications. Here we report an effective fabrication method of SiC nanocrystals based on simple electroless wet chemical etching of crystalline cubic SiC. Comparing an open reaction system with a closed reaction chamber, we found that the latter produces smaller nanoparticles (less than 8 nm diameter) with higher yield. Our samples show strong violet-blue emission in the 410–450 nm region depending on the solvents used and the size. Infrared measurements unraveled that the surface of the fabricated nanoparticles is rich in oxidized carbon. This may open an opportunity to use standard chemistry methods for further biological functionalization of such nanoparticles.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 28 , Issue 1: Focus Issue: Silicon Carbide – Materials, Processing and Devices , 14 January 2013 , pp. 44 - 49
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2012

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References

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