Synthesis and characterization of nanoboron powders prepared with mechanochemical reaction between B2O3 and Mg powders

Amorphous boron powders with small particle size, narrow size distribution and high purity are very important in the high-tech fields. Mechanochemical synthesis was used to prepare amorphous boron nanoparticles. Synthesis process stage was carried out using stoichiometric amounts of B2O3 and Mg powders (6.7 g). Milling was carried out under argon atmosphere in the high-energy planetary ball mill with a ball-to-powder weight ratio (32 : 1) for 10 h. The vial rotation speed was about 440 rpm. Milled products were leached by 28% hydrochloric acid (only one) to remove impurities. Boron powders were obtained after centrifuging, decanting, washing and drying operations. Sample was characterized by inductively coupled plasma (ICP), energy-dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The ICP results showed that boron powders with purity about 91 wt% can be prepared in the planetary ball mill. Also, the leached powders had an amorphous structure. According to the SEM observation, average particle size of boron powders was smaller than 32 nm and the yield of synthesized nanoboron was more than 74%.