Synthesis of Mg2B2O5 whiskers via coprecipitation and sintering process

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.