Gas-phase synthesis of crystalline B4C encapsulated in graphitic particles by pulsed-laser irradiation Original Research Article

A boron carbide crystallite encapsulated in multiwalled graphitic carbon clusters has been synthesized by the laser-induced vapor-phase reaction of C6H6+BCl3. The composite particles were characterized by analytical electron microscopy. The size of the capsules ranged from 30 to 80 nm and the number of graphitic carbon layers surrounding a core particle ranged from 20 to 40. A strongly enhanced graphitization of the carbon cluster with boron was observed.