Single-crystal Al(18)B(4)O(33) microtubes.
Aluminum borate microtubes were prepared in excellent yield by annealing the Al(2)O(3)-NaBH(4)-NiCl(2) starting materials at 1050 degrees C under N(2)(H(2)) atmosphere. The tubes are usually open at each end with the outer diameters narrowly distributed at ca. 1 microm. XRD results and TEM analysis identified the composition of these tubes as single-crystal orthorhombic Al(18)B(4)O(33). These newly discovered ceramic microtubes with open ends have a variety of promising applications such as being filled with other materials for protection or for the fabrication of novel composites or filtering media.
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