The structure of BC3N tubular nanofiber synthesized by using PECVD

Abstract

Boron carbonitride (BxCyNz) nanotubes were synthesized with a gas mixture Of C2H2, NH3, N-2 and B2H6 by using dc plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The compartmented BxCyNz nanofibers were vertically aligned on the substrate with a diameter of similar to 70 nm and a length of similar to 3 pm. The transmission electron microscope images showed the BxCyNz nanofibers to be nanotubes, with a well-aligned wall structure. The images of an elemental mapping taken by using a transmission electron microscope equipped with an electron energy loss spectroscope showed that the carbon, nitrogen, and boron atoms in the compartmented BxCyNz tubular nanofiber were uniformly distributed. The atomic composition ratio of the BxCyNz tubular nanofibers was investigated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The estimated ratio of each chemical component of the compartmented BxCyNz tubular nanofibers was x = 0.37 (boron) : y = 1.0 (carbon) : z = 0.36 (nitrogen), which is very similar with that of BC3N. Based on the experimental data, we suggest a chemical structure of the BC3N nanotube that is consistent with the structure obtained from a theoretical calculation.