Growth of single-layer boron nitride dome-shaped nanostructures catalysed by iron clusters

A La Torre; E H Åhlgren; M W Fay; F Ben Romdhane; S T Skowron; C Parmenter; A J Davies; J Jouhannaud; G Pourroy; A N Khlobystov; P D Brown; E Besley; F Banhart

doi:10.1039/c6nr03474h

Growth of single-layer boron nitride dome-shaped nanostructures catalysed by iron clusters

Nanoscale. 2016 Aug 11;8(32):15079-85. doi: 10.1039/c6nr03474h.

Authors

A La Torre¹, E H Åhlgren², M W Fay³, F Ben Romdhane⁴, S T Skowron², C Parmenter², A J Davies³, J Jouhannaud⁴, G Pourroy⁴, A N Khlobystov⁵, P D Brown⁶, E Besley², F Banhart⁴

Affiliations

¹ Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg, UMR 7504 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 23 rue du Loess, 67034 Strasbourg, France. [email protected] [email protected] and School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK. [email protected].
² School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK. [email protected].
³ Nanoscale and Microscale Research Centre, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
⁴ Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg, UMR 7504 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 23 rue du Loess, 67034 Strasbourg, France. [email protected] [email protected].
⁵ School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK. [email protected] and Nanoscale and Microscale Research Centre, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
⁶ Nanoscale and Microscale Research Centre, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK and Department of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.

PMID: 27486917
DOI: 10.1039/c6nr03474h

Abstract

We report on the growth and formation of single-layer boron nitride dome-shaped nanostructures mediated by small iron clusters located on flakes of hexagonal boron nitride. The nanostructures were synthesized in situ at high temperature inside a transmission electron microscope while the e-beam was blanked. The formation process, typically originating at defective step-edges on the boron nitride support, was investigated using a combination of transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy and computational modelling. Computational modelling showed that the domes exhibit a nanotube-like structure with flat circular caps and that their stability was comparable to that of a single boron nitride layer.