Interfacial diffusion‐limited vapor‐liquid‐solid mechanism for the growth of tadpole‐shaped boron nitride nanostructures

Abstract Here, tadpole‐shaped boron nitride (BN) nanostructures, with a length of ∼10 µm and a diameter ranging from 0.05 µm (tail) to 1.0 µm (head), were prepared by a facile two‐step process, involving the synthesis of a cobalt carbonate‐boron precursor, and its annealing using chemical vapor deposition in an ammonia atmosphere. Based on phase composition changes and microstructural evolution during annealing, and thermodynamic analysis, an interfacial diffusion‐limited vapor‐liquid‐solid mechanism was proposed for the growth of the tadpole‐shaped BN nanostructures. An understanding of the growth mechanism of the nano‐tadpoles supplements the knowledge base of the BN nanostructure family and provides a new opportunity for the synthesis of analogous inorganic nanomaterials.