Templated, carbothermal reduction synthesis of mesoporous silicon carbide from carbon nanotube–mesoporous silica core–shell composite

Mesoporous materials are the subject of extensive interest due to their large surface area and multiscale structural order. These properties are especially relevant for applications such as catalyst supports in both chemical and electrochemical systems. The first part of this study details the synthesis of carbon nanotube–mesoporous silica core–shell composites starting with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) through micellar self-assembly. The formation of such a composite structure was verified using scanning electron microscopy and further analysis was carried out through X-ray diffraction (XRD). The subsequent refinement of the diffraction pattern revealed the silica shell to be of the continuous cubic (Ia3d) MCM48 structure. The mesoporous silica–carbon nanotube core–shell composite was later subjected to high-temperature carbothermal reduction. Subsequent XRD analysis showed that the reduction product was mesoporous silicon carbide (SiC). Thus, this study details a novel synthesis method for mesoporous SiC, which is an attractive material for possible diverse applications such as catalyst supports, intercalation electrodes and other emerging high technology areas.