Mechanochemical synthesis of boron nitride nanotubes

摘要

Boron nitride (BN) nanotubes have been produced from elemental boron powder using a new low-temperatjr process, which involves ball milling of boron powder in ammonia gas at room temperature, and followed gy annealing at temperatures up to 1300 deg C in nitrogen gas. Ball milling induces nitriding reactions between the boron powder and the ammonia gas with the formation of a disordered BN phase. Bn nanotubes then gown out during the subsequent heat treatment. This novel process for forming BN nanotubes is distinclly different from arc discharge and laser-ehating processes.