An efficient template synthesis of aligned boron carbide nanofibers using a single-source molecular precursor

The synthesis of aligned, monodispersed boron carbide nanofibers has been achieved by the 1025 degrees C pyrolysis of the compound 6,6'-(CH2)(6)-(B10H13)(2) absorbed into a porous alumina matrix, followed by dissolution of the alumina with aqueous HF. SEM studies show that the nanofibers are similar to 45 mu m in length with diameters of similar to 250 nm. XRD and TEM studies demonstrated that fibers pyrrolyzed at 1000 degrees C (3 h) are amorphous, but those heated at 1025 degrees C (3 h) showed onset of boron carbide crystallization.