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Electron microscopy study of BNNTs synthesized by high temperature–pressure method and purified by high-temperature steam

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  • FOCUS ISSUE: Boron Nitride Nanotubes
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Abstract

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) possess extraordinary properties on the molecular level; hence, it is of particular interest to use them for the assembly of macroscopic materials. However, difficulties in BNNT synthesis and purification hinder their processing into such objects. Only recently, a large-scale production of high-quality BNNTs has been explored. Here, we study by advanced electron microscopy techniques BNNTs synthesized by the high temperature–pressure (HTP) method and compare BNNTs after different purification processes. We document many different defects and demonstrate that these do not prevent nematic alignment of BNNTs at high concentrations. In fact, we show that small-ordered domains form at lower concentrations for BNNTs of higher purity. Cryogenic electron microscopy provides direct-imaging evidence of the BNNT liquid crystalline phase, indicating the potential for the fabrication of highly ordered BNNT-based macroscopic assemblies by liquid-phase processing.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

Our research was supported by Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Grants FA9550-18-1-0014 and FA9550-19-1-7045, and the United States−Israel Binational Science Foundation Grant 2016161. MP’s work was supported by The Robert A. Welch Foundation grant C-1668. Cryo-EM was performed at the Technion Center for Electron Microscopy of Soft Matter supported by the Technion Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute (RBNI).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute (RBNI), Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, 3200003, Haifa, Israel

    Asia Matatyaho Ya’akobi & Yeshayahu Talmon

  2. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Smalley-Curl Institute, 6100 Main Street, MS 369, Houston, TX, 77005, USA

    Cedric J. S. Ginestra & Matteo Pasquali

  3. BNNT Materials, LLC, 300 Ed Wright Lane Suite A, Newport News, VA, 23606, USA

    Lyndsey R. Scammell & Michael W. Smith

  4. Department of Chemistry and Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, The Smalley-Curl Institute, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, MS 369, Houston, TX, 77005, USA

    Matteo Pasquali

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  1. Asia Matatyaho Ya’akobi
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Correspondence to Yeshayahu Talmon.

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Conflict of interest

Authors Scammell and Smith are employees of BNNT Materials LLC, and author Smith is a shareholder in BNNT Materials LLC. The remaining authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Matteo Pasquali was a guest editor of this journal during the review and decision stage. For the JMR policy on review and publication of manuscripts authored by editors, please refer to http://www.mrs.org/editor-manuscripts/.

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Matatyaho Ya’akobi, A., Ginestra, C.J.S., Scammell, L.R. et al. Electron microscopy study of BNNTs synthesized by high temperature–pressure method and purified by high-temperature steam. Journal of Materials Research 37, 4508–4521 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43578-022-00697-w

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