Synthesis of single crystalline SiO₂ nanotubes and their amorphization by electron irradiation

Abstract

We have reported that SiC nanotubes were succeeded in synthesized by the reaction of carbon nanotubes with Si powder at 1200 C for 100 h in a vacuum. In this study, single crystalline SiO₂ nanotubes were synthesized by the heat treatment of SiC nanotubes at 1300 C for 10 h in a low vacuum. According to TEM observations, single crystalline SiO₂ was cristobalite. Single crystalline SiO₂ nanotubes were transformed to amorphous SiO₂ nanotubes by electron irradiation.