Since the discovery of carbon nanotubes in 1991¹, nanometer-scale 2-D structures have been studied increasingly and various materials, in nanotubular and in nanowire form, have been described. Nanotubular form of nitrides is a new area of inorganic nanostructures. Preparation of boron nitride nanotubes has been reported², but nanotubes of transition metal nitrides have gained less attention. Like other nitrides of transition metals, molybdenum nitride is a hard material. It is stable against mechanical and chemical stress, and it has a low coefficient of friction³. Molybdenum nitride has been widely applied in catalysis.

In this study, molybdenum nitride nanotubes were prepared by depositing nitride film on anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) template by atomic layer deposition. The precursors were bis(tert-butylimido)-bis(dimethylamido)molybdenum and ammonia. The AAO template was then etched away with sodium hydroxide solution. The effect of deposition parameters on film growth and the properties of the nanotubes were investigated.

The maximum intrusion depth of the molybdenum nitride film into the AAO pores, 20 μm, was achieved with 7-second precursor pulses. Three different architectures of molybdenum nitride nanotubes were isolated. Separated nanotubes were found when the template was etched in an ultrasonic bath, while bundling dominated when template etching was conducted without ultrasound (Fig. 1.). The nanotubes remained on the surface with the tips strongly intertwined when the nitride-coated AAO template was mounted onto a steel plate before etching.

Fig. 1. Bundle of molybdenum nitride nanotubes.

References

1. Ijima, S. Nature 1991, 354, 56.
2. Bengu, E., Marks, L. D. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2001, 86, 2385.
3. Lengauer, W. Transition Metal Carbides, Nitrides and Carbonitrides; Riedel, R., Ed.; Handbook of Ceramic Hard Materials, Vol. 1; Wiley: Weinheim, 2000.

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