Mg2B2O5 whiskers with high aspect ratio were synthesized by coprecipitation and sintering process using MgCl2 center dot 6H(2)O, H3BO3, and NaOH as raw materials and KCl as a flux. Their formation process was investigated by thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microcopy (SEM). It is found that the products synthesized at 832A degrees C are monoclinic Mg2B2O5 whiskers with a diameter of 200-400 nm and a length of 50-80 mu m. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) analyses show that the whiskers obtained at 832A degrees C are single crystalline and grow along with the [010] direction. The growth mechanism of Mg2B2O5 whiskers was also presented.
Introduction
