Growth and stability of oxidation resistant Si nanocrystals formed by decomposition of alkyl silanes
The synthesis and characterization of 1-10 nm Si nanocrystals highly resistant to oxidation is described. The nanocrystals were prepared by thermal decomposition of tetramethylsilane at 680 C, or in a gold- induced catalytic process at lower temperatures down to 400-450 C using trioctylamine as an initial solvent. Transmission electron microscopic analysis of samples obtained in the presence of gold show that the nanocrystals form via solid-phase epitaxial attachment of Si to the gold crystal lattice. The results of computational modeling performed using first principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations predict that the enhanced stability of nanocrystals to oxidation is due to the presence of N or N-containing groups on the surface of nanocrystals.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 940468
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-JRNL-227339; TRN: US0807136
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Physical Chemistry - C, vol. 112, no. 10, February 19, 2008, pp. 3585-3590, Vol. 112, Issue 10
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Effect of Epitaxial Alignment on Electron Transport from Quasi-Two-Dimensional Iron Silicide α-FeSi{sub 2} Nanocrystals Into p-Si(001)
Phase decomposition and bubble evolution in Xe implanted U3Si2 at 450°C