Synthesis of Boron Nitride Nanotubes via inductively Coupled thermal Plasma process Catalyzed by Solid-state ammonium Chloride

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are receiving great attention because of their unusual material properties, such as high thermal conductivity, mechanical strength, and electrical resistance. However, high-throughput and high-efficiency synthesis of BNNTs has been hindered due to the high boiling point of boron (${\sim}4000^{\circ}C$) and weak interaction between boron and nitrogen. Although, hydrogen-catalyzed plasma synthesis has shown potential for scalable synthesis of BNNTs, the direct use of $H_2$ gas as a precursor material is not strongly recommended, as it is extremely flammable. In the present study, BNNTs have been synthesized using radio-frequency inductively coupled thermal plasma (RF-ITP) catalyzed by solid-state ammonium chloride ($NH_4Cl$), a safe catalyst materials for BNNT synthesis. Similar to BNNTs synthesized from h-BN (hexagonal boron nitride) + $H_2$, successful fabrication of BNNTs synthesized from $h-BN+NH_4Cl$ is confirmed by their sheet-like properties, FE-SEM images, and XRD analysis. In addition, improved dispersion properties in aqueous solution are found in BNNTs synthesized from $h-BN+NH_4Cl$.