Self-catalyst growth of LaB6 nanowires and nanotubes

LaB6 nanowires have been successfully fabricated with self-catalyst method using lanthanum (La) powders and boron trichloride (BCl3) gas mixed with hydrogen and argon. Our results show that lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6) nanowires are 20–200 nm thick and several micrometers long. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals that the nanowires are highly crystalline. In our experiment LaB6 nanotubes have also been observed for the first time. Our results indicate that LaB6 nanotubes are polycrystalline with 200–400 nm thick and around several hundred nanometers to one micrometer long. A growth mechanism based on the self-catalyst process is proposed for the formation of the nanowires.