Carbon and carbon/silicon composite nanostructured materials and casting formation method

Abstract

The invention provides nanostructure composite porous silicon and carbon materials, and also provides carbon nanofiber arrays having a photonic response in the form of films or particles. Composite materials or carbon nanofiber arrays of the invention are produced by a templating method of the invention, and the resultant nanomaterials have a predetermined photonic response determined by the pattern in the porous silicon template, which is determined by etching conditions for forming the porous silicon. Example nanostructures include rugate filters, single layer structures and double layer structures. In a preferred method of the invention, a carbon precursor is introduced into the pores of a porous silicon film. Carbon is then formed from the carbon precursor. In a preferred method of the invention, liquid carbon-containing polymer precursor is introduced into the pores of an porous silicon film The precursor is thermally polymerized to form a carbon-containing polymer in the pores of the porous silicon film, which is then thermally carbonized to produce the nano structured composite material. A carbon nanofiber array is obtained by dissolving the porous silicon. A carbon nanofiber array can be maintained as a film in liquid, and particles can be formed by drying the material.