Successive effect of rolling up, oriented attachment and Ostwald ripening on the hydrothermal formation of szaibelyite MgBO2(OH) nanowhiskers

Abstract

The successive effects of rolling up, oriented attachment and Ostwald ripening on the hydrothermal formation of szaibelyite MgBO₂(OH) nanowhiskers (diameter: 20–60 nm, aspect ratio: 10–70) from amorphous precursor obtained at room temperature are investigated in this paper, and the MgBO₂(OH) nanowhiskers successively experience three various stages in the course of the hydrothermal treatment, dominated via rolling up at an early heating stage, head-to-head overlapped and side-by-side oriented attachment at medium-term crystal growth, and Ostwald ripening at late hydrothermal coarsening, which lead to rudimental 1D MgBO₂(OH), lotus root-like MgBO₂(OH) with a concavo-convex surface, and uniform MgBO₂(OH) nanowhiskers with a smooth surface and a high aspect ratio, respectively.