Role of structural defects in the ultraviolet luminescence of multiwall boron nitride nanotubes
- Laboratoire d'Etude des Microstructures (LEM), ONERA-CNRS, BP 72, 92322 Châtillon cedex (France)
- DMPH, ONERA, Chemin de la Hunière et des Joncherettes, BP 80100, 91123 Palaiseau (France)
- International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Namiki 1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 3050044 (Japan)
- Groupe d'Etude de la Matière Condensée, University of Versailles St-Quentin and CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 45 Avenue des Etats-Unis, 78000 Versailles (France)
BN nanotubes (BNNTs) are structurally similar to their carbon counterparts, though much less investigated. New synthesis methods have been recently reported, enabling the production of industrial quantities and stimulating the search of new applications for the BNNTs. In this paper, we investigate the luminescence of multiwall BNNTs. By performing cathodoluminescence experiments on single tubes at 10 K, we show that the tube luminescence is highly heterogeneous (i) from tube to tube and (ii) spatially along a single tube. By combining cathodoluminescence measurements with a nanometer excitation and transmission electron microscopy on the same tube, we correlate luminescence and structural features. We conclude that the near-band-edge luminescence of BNNTs (≈5.4 eV) is related to the presence of extended structural defects, such as dislocations or ruptures in the wall stacking.
- OSTI ID:
- 22493061
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 118, Issue 23; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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