New Boron Nitride Whiskers: Showing Strong Ultraviolet and Visible Light Luminescence

Abstract

Boron nitride whiskers with a special structure have been synthesized by a thermal reaction process. The as-prepared BN whiskers have a length of tens of micrometers and a mean diameter of 500 nm. High-resolution TEM analysis shows that the as-prepared BN whiskers can be described as a nanofiber-interweaved network. Infrared and electron energy loss spectra reveal that the BN whiskers are composed of both σ-sp² and σ-sp³ chemical bonds. The UV−vis absorption spectrum displays the energy band gap of the BN whiskers and multiple fine absorption peaks of the phonon−electron coupling. Both photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements show the specially structured BN emits strong UV and visible luminescences, which is a promising material for deep-blue and UV applications.