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

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

Abstract

© 2016 The Royal Society of Chemistry. 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.

Citation

Torre, A. L., Åhlgren, E. H., Fay, M. W., Ben Romdhane, F., Skowron, S. T., Parmenter, C., Davies, A. J., Jouhannaud, J., Pourroy, G., Khlobystov, A. N., Brown, P. D., Besley, E., & Banhart, F. (2016). Growth of single-layer boron nitride dome-shaped nanostructures catalysed by iron clusters. Nanoscale, 8(32), 15079-15085. https://doi.org/10.1039/c6nr03474h

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 22, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Jul 27, 2016
• Publication Date: Aug 28, 2016
• Deposit Date: Mar 26, 2020
• Journal: Nanoscale
• Print ISSN: 2040-3364
• Electronic ISSN: 2040-3372
• Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 32
• Pages: 15079-15085
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/c6nr03474h
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1875633
• Publisher URL: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2016/NR/C6NR03474H#!divAbstract
• Additional Information: : This document is CrossCheck deposited; : Supplementary Information; : E. Besley (ORCID); : The Royal Society of Chemistry has an exclusive publication licence for this journal; OPEN ACCESS: The accepted version of this article will be made freely available after a 12 month embargo period; : Received 28 April 2016; Accepted 22 July 2016; Accepted Manuscript published 27 July 2016; Advance Article published 3 August 2016; Version of Record published 11 August 2016