PROCESS FOR PRODUCING SEMICONDUCTOR NANOWIRES AND CARBON/SEMICONDUCTOR NANOWIRE HYBRID MATERIALS

摘要

This disclosure provides a process for producing carbon-semiconductor nanowire hybrid material, comprising: (A) preparing a catalyst metal-coated mixture mass, which includes mixing carbon filaments with micron or sub-micron scaled semiconductor particles to form a mixture and depositing a nanoscaled catalytic metal onto surfaces of the carbon filaments and/or semiconductor particles; and (B) exposing the catalyst metal-coated mixture mass to a high temperature environment (preferably from 100° C. to 2,500° C.) for a period of time sufficient to enable a catalytic metal-catalyzed growth of multiple semiconductor nanowires using the semiconductor particles as a feed material to form the carbon-semiconductor nanowire hybrid material composition. An optional etching or separating procedure may be conducted to remove catalytic metal or carbon filaments from the semiconductor nanowires.