Preparation of B-C-N nanotube and its characterization

B-C-N nanotube with bamboo-like structure was synthesized by heating ball milled mixture of boron powder and graphite powder in flowing ammonia gas stream at 1200°C. The synthesized product was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron diffraction (ED), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). The diameter of nanotube was in the range of 50-180 nm and the length is about 20 μm. The result of EELS suggested that the nanotube was composed of elements of B, C and N, and the calculated B/C/N atomic ratio was 0.49 : 1.00 : 0.11. The growth mechanism of B-C-N nanotube was also discussed tentatively.