Crystalline boron nanowires

Crystalline boron nanowires were produced through post-annealing amorphous boron nanowires synthesized by rf magnetron sputtering. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy was used to characterize the microstructure of the crystalline boron nanowires. Selected-area electron diffraction studies showed that the crystalline boron nanowires belong to a rhombohedral structure (β-boron), with lattice parameters of $\text{a=10.95\hspace{0.17em}Å}$ and $\text{c=23.82\hspace{0.17em}Å.}$ Electron energy-loss spectroscopy was used to characterize the chemical composition of the boron nanowires.