High-pressure, high temperature synthesis of a mesoporous α-quartz/bismuth nanowire composite

Yixuan Zhao (1) , Gaël Talbi (1) , Sébastien Clément (2) , Pierre Toulemonde (3) , Thomas Hansen (4) , Martine Cambon (1) , Olivier Cambon (1) , Mickael Beaudhuin (1) , Romain Viennois (1) , Julien Haines (1)

1 ICGM - Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier - Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux de Montpellier
2 L2C - Laboratoire Charles Coulomb
3 NEEL - MRS - Matériaux, Rayonnements, Structure
4 ILL - Institut Laue-Langevin

High temperature, high pressure conditions were used to insert liquid bismuth in 4-6 nm diameter amorphous silica nanotubes. A combination of transmission electron microscopy and neutron powder diffrac-tion indicate that the final composite consists in 5-6 nm semi-conducting Bi nanowires confined in insulating mesoporous -quartz. Such a nanostructured material could be of considerable interest for thermo-electric applications. HIGHLIGHTS:  Bismuth was inserted into 4-6 nm silica nanotubes under high-pressure, high-temperature conditions  The host amorphous nanotubes crystallize in the form of -quartz  The obtained nanocomposite consists of 5-6 nm Bi nanowires imbedded in mesoporous -quartz  The formation of Bi nanowires modifies their physical properties compared to bulk Bi

Mots clés: Nanocomposites; Silica nanotubes; High Pressure; Guest Insertion; Bismuth

Domaines: Matériaux

Yixuan Zhao, Gaël Talbi, Sébastien Clément, Pierre Toulemonde, Thomas Hansen, et al.. High-pressure, high temperature synthesis of a mesoporous α-quartz/bismuth nanowire composite. Solid State Sciences, 2020, 101, pp.106125. ⟨10.1016/j.solidstatesciences.2020.106125⟩. ⟨hal-02498343⟩