Bundles of single-crystalline b-Si 3 N 4 nanowires with high purity are successfully synthesized using a simple CVD process with silicon nanowire(SiNW)-assisted growth. The b-Si 3 N 4 NWs obtained have a small diameter of ∼30 nm, a single-crystalline structure with [100] or [101] direction, and a thin oxide shell. The photoluminescence and Raman scattering spectra confirm the good crystalline structure. The weak blue-shift of the peaks in Raman scattering compared to bulk b-Si 3 N 4 is attributed to the phonon confinement effect or laser heating during the measurements. Finally, a possible SiNWs template-assisted growth model is suggested.

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