The influence of growth conditions upon the crystalline quality of 3C-type nanoparticles with dimensions of 3 to 10nm was studied. The particles were grown by chemical vapour synthesis in a hot-wall reactor. By altering the decomposition temperature and the reactor pressure, the clusters could be made amorphous at low temperatures or crystalline at high temperatures. Crystalline nanoparticles exhibited a 1-dimensional stacking disorder, with slip planes lying on various families of {111} planes, when prepared using a high reactor pressure. When the pressure was decreased, only 1-dimensional disordered particles along single (111) planes were observed.

HREM Study of 3C-SiC Nanoparticles: Influence of Growth Conditions on Crystalline Quality. V.Buschmann, S.Klein, H.Fuess, H.Hahn: Journal of Crystal Growth, 1998, 193[3], 335-41