Synthesis, growth mechanism and elastic properties of SiC@SiO2 coaxial nanospring

Abstract

Herein, a novel coaxial nanospring composed of a helical SiC core and a uniform amorphous SiO₂ sheath (SiC@SiO₂) has been synthesized via a template/catalyst-free chemical vapor reaction (CVR) approach. An atomic layer dislocation stacking growth model is firstly established for explaining the formation process of the nanospring, which offers a valuable model and an effective clue for understanding the growth of other nonlinear nanostructures. The elastic properties of the products have been investigated by calculating the corresponding spring constant of the SiC@SiO₂ coaxial nanospring with a dynamic radius, which makes it a promising candidate for nanomechanical devices, self-sensing resonators and nanoscale elastic energy storage.