Facile synthesis of boron nitride nanotubes and improved electrical conductivity

A layer of catalyst film on substrate is usually required during the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth of one-dimensional (1D) nanomaterials. In this work, however, a novel approach for synthesizing high-purity bamboo-like boron nitride (BN) nanotubes directly on commercial stainless steel foils was demonstrated. Synthesis was realized by heating boron and zinc oxide (ZnO) powders at 1200 degrees C under a mixture gas flow of nitrogen and hydrogen. The stainless steel foils played an additional role of catalyst besides the substrate during the VLS growth of the nanotubes. In addition, the electrical conductivity of the BN nanotubes was efficiently improved in a simple way by coating with Au and Pd nanoparticles. The decorated BN nanotubes may find potential applications in catalysts, sensors and nanoelectronics.