Potassium borohydride reducing route to phase-pure nanocrystalline InSb atlow temperature

The phase-pure III-V binary antimonide (InSb) was first prepared through a novel solution route at a temperature of 200 degreesC: 2InCl(3) + 6KBH(4) + 2Sb -->en 2InSb + 6KCl + 6BH(3) + 3H(2) up arrow Mean crystallite dimensions of 40 nm were determined from X-ray powder diff raction. Transmission electronmicro-scopy images showed that the spherical grains with a diameter of 40-60 nm and the rodlike grains with a size of 12 0 x 1500 nm coexisted in the same product. The reaction proceeds with indiu m as the intermediate and a solution-liquid-solid mechanism is proposed for the one-dimensional growth.