Boron nitride nanotubes synthesis from ammonia borane by an inductively coupled plasma

[Display omitted] •Ammonia borane (AB) decomposes efficiently in thermal plasma and generates abundant BNNTs.•The elemental hydrogen in AB facilitates efficient BNNTs precursors formation.•AB significantly restricts large boron (B) particles formation and generates more small B seeds.•AB-derived BNNTs (AB-BNNTs) contain substantially less residual B contamination.•AB-BNNTs contain no hBN contamination, and reduced BN shells and tBN impurities. Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) have been studied extensively due to their unique properties. Hydrogen-assisted induction thermal plasma with hBN powder has been reported in the past to produce high-yield small-diameter BNNTs. However, removal of unprocessed hBN and other BN-based impurities has been a challenge. This study presents a new approach for BNNT synthesis using ammonia borane (AB) as the raw material while maintaining the high yield and similar nanotube diameter and number of walls. Our findings demonstrate that the use of AB results in enhanced synthesis of BNNTs with reduced B and BN impurities formation. The presence of H in the proximity of B following AB decomposition facilitated more efficient formation of BH-based precursors that also lowered the partial pressure of B and restricted its condensation and coagulation into large B particles, ultimately leading to an increased density of B seeds required for BNNTs nucleation. Both the increased formation of BNNT precursors and B seeds contributed to more efficient BNNTs formation. XRD analysis revealed that AB-BNNTs contained no hBN, less tBN, and more BNNTs compared to hBN-BNNTs. Additionally, TGA and OES measurements confirmed formation of less B and production of more BH species, respectively. Our results suggest that AB as a feedstock for BNNT synthesis in induction thermal plasma offers a promising alternative to hBN powder.