Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
SiC nanometer powders were synthesized by the chemical vapor reaction of the SiH4–C2H4–H2 system in the temperature range between 1423 K and 1673 K. The effects of processing conditions such as reactive temperature, gas composition ratio, and total flow rate on powder characteristics were studied using transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, infrared, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, and chemical analyses. A forming mechanism has been proposed for solid and hollow particles in different processing conditions. The experimental results concerning particle growth are discussed according to the model of G.D. Ulrich et al., which considers both collision and coalescence phenomena.