Large-scale synthesis of neodymium hexaboride nanowires by self-catalyst

Large scale NdB6 nanowires have been successfully fabricated for the first time using a self-catalyst method with Nd powders and boron trichloride (BCl3) gas mixed with hydrogen and argon. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were used to characterize the samples. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals that the NdB6 nanowires are single crystals with cubic structure. Our investigation forms part of a series of studies for finding comparatively inexpensive methods to prepare RB6 nanomaterials.