Spectral properties of spherical boron nitride prepared using carbon spheres as template

Spherical boron nitride nanoparticles have been successfully fabricated by temperature-controlled pyrolysis procedure in a N2 atmosphere, using boron acid and urea as the precursors. The carbon spheres were prepared from glucose (C6H12O6) by a hydrothermal method as a template to be used. Comprehensive scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier infrared spectrum (IR) characterizations all confirm that the obtained products are spherical boron nitride. The amount of C6H12O6 and reaction time were found to affect the morphology and structure of the as-prepared products. The average diameter of the spherical boron nitride nanoparticles synthesized with the addition of C6H12O6 is about 0.3–1 µm. The spherical boron nitride has a high surface area of 176.78 m2g−1 and ~3.5 nm pore size. The as-synthesized nanospheres also exhibit strong photoluminescence (PL) bands at 436, 454, 486, and 616 nm under 312 nm excitation, indicating that they could have potential application in novel optical devices.