Revealing the Effect of Sulfur Compounds for Low-Temperature Synthesis of Boron Nitride Nanotubes from Boron Minerals

Koken D., Sungur P., Cebeci H., CEBECİ F. Ç.

ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS, vol.5, no.2, pp.2137-2146, 2022 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 5 Issue: 2
  • Publication Date: 2022
  • Doi Number: 10.1021/acsanm.1c03858
  • Journal Name: ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Compendex
  • Page Numbers: pp.2137-2146
  • Keywords: BNNT, boron minerals, thiophene, L-cystine, low temperature, CHEMICAL-VAPOR-DEPOSITION, CARBON NANOTUBES, DECOMPOSITION, DEFORMATION, COMPOSITES, NUCLEATION, MECHANISM, CATALYST, GROWTH
  • Istanbul Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs), the structural analogues to carbon nanotubes (CNTs), attracted considerable attention due to their excellent properties. However, the synthesis of BNNTs suffers from high-temperature requirement, which increases the cost and adds complexity to instruments (arc discharge, plasma-assisted CVD, etc.), preventing further exploration of BNNTs and use of harmful chemicals (catalytic chemical vapor deposition) resulting in unwanted byproducts. Here, we demonstrate sulfur-containing compound-assisted synthesis of BNNTs at a relatively low temperature of 1050 degrees C from colemanite via a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. Comparison between thiophene, L-cystine, and L-methionine revealed that thiophene is the most effective sulfur compound with more stable decomposition products and low vapor pressure. Moreover, we have evaluated ulexite and etidot-67 as an alternative to colemanite. We believe that our findings can offer solutions to commonly encountered problems of BNNT synthesis in terms of high energy consumption and precursor cost, leading to broader use of BNNTs in various applications.