Synthesize and characterization of hollow boron-nitride nanocages

The boron-nitride (BN) nanocages are synthesized by nitrogenation of amorphous boron nanoparticles at 1073 K under nitrogen and ammonia atmosphere. The BN nanocages exhibit a well-crystallized feature with nearly pentagonal or spherical shape, depending on their size. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy studies reveal that they are hollow nanocages. The growth mechanism of the BN nanocages is proposed.