A low-temperature route for the synthesis of nanocrystalline LaB6

Nanocrystalline lanthanum hexaboride (LaB₆) with mean particle size of 30 nm has been successfully synthesized at 400 °C in an autoclave starting from metallic magnesium powder, NaBH₄ and LaCl₃. In this case, by using B₂O₃ instead of NaBH₄, LaB₆ nanocubes with mean size of ∼200 nm were formed at 500 °C. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern can be indexed as cubic LaB₆ with the lattice constant of a=4.151 Å for LaB₆ nanoparticles and 4.154 Å for LaB₆ nanocubes. An atomic ratio of La and B as 1:5.94 was determined from EDS for LaB₆ nanoparticles. XPS data of LaB₆ nanocubes indicate the atomic ratio of La to B as 1:5.95. Raman spectra indicate the formation of LaB₆.