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

Here, tadpole-shaped boron nitride (BN) nanostructures, with a length of similar to 10 mu m and a diameter ranging from 0.05 mu m (tail) to 1.0 mu m (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.