Single crystalline boron carbide nanobelts: synthesis and characterization

This paper reports that the large-scale single crystalline boron carbide nanobelts have been fabricated through a simple carbothermal reduction method with B/B_2O_3/C/Fe powder as precursors at 1100^\circC. Transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction characterizations show that the boron carbide nanobelt has a B_4C rhomb-centred hexagonal structure with good crystallization. Electron energy loss spectroscopy analysis indicates that the nanobelt contains only B and C, and the atomic ratio of B to C is close to 4:1. High resolution transmission electron microscopy results show that the preferential growth direction of the nanobelt is 101. A possible growth mechanism is also discussed.