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Mg‐Assisted Autoclave Synthesis of RB 6 (R = Sm, Eu, Gd, and Tb) Submicron Cubes and SmB 6 Submicron Rods
Author(s) -
Zhang Maofeng,
Jia Ying,
Xu Guogen,
Wang Pengfei,
Wang Xiaoqing,
Xiong Shenglin,
Wang Xuanjun,
Qian Yitai
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
european journal of inorganic chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 136
eISSN - 1099-0682
pISSN - 1434-1948
DOI - 10.1002/ejic.200901015
Subject(s) - autoclave , crystallinity , selected area diffraction , chemistry , powder diffraction , scanning electron microscope , crystallography , phase (matter) , rod , solid state , diffraction , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , transmission electron microscopy , materials science , composite material , organic chemistry , optics , medicine , alternative medicine , physics , pathology , engineering
Submicron crystalline rare‐earth hexaborides (RB 6 ; R = Sm, Eu, Gd, and Tb) have been successfully prepared by a facile one‐step solid‐state reaction of RCl 3 · 6H 2 O, B 2 O 3 , and Mg powder in an autoclave at the relatively low temperature of 500 °C. By controlling the reaction conditions, submicron‐sized cubes (RB 6 ) and rod‐ and needlelike SmB 6 are obtained. The possible growth mechanism of the 1D SmB 6 structures has also been discussed. The XRD patterns of the products show that all of the hexaborides can be indexed to a cubic phase with high crystallinity and high purity. The field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and TEM images display their cube‐, rod‐, and needlelike morphologies. The selected‐area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns reveal the single‐crystalline nature of the products.