3D flower-like magnesium borate microspheres assembled by nanosheets synthesized via PVP-assisted method

Abstract: We report a facile route using precipitation reaction and sequential calcination to synthesize three-dimensional (3D) flower-like magnesium borate (Mg3B2O6) nanoarchitectures with poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) as the template. The structure and morphology were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicate that 3D flower-like Mg3B2O6 microspheres with diameters of 0.6–1.0μm are composed of large numbers of single crystalline nanosheets with thickness of about 10nm. The N2 sorption result and pore-size distribution analysis show that mesopores and macropores exist in the 3D flower-like nanostructures. The mesopores and macropores will endow the hierarchical microspheres with novel application potentials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]