Synthesis of AlN Hollow Nanospheres via an in Situ Generated Template Method

An in situ generated template method has been developed via the simple reaction of AlCl 3 with NH 3 for the synthesis of AlN hollow nanospheres with diameters of 80−400 nm and shell thickness of ∼15 nm. On the basis of the detailed characterization on the intermediate compounds, the preparation process has been elucidated which includes the first formation of the AlCl 3· xNH 3@AlN core−shell nanostructures followed by the decomposition of the inner compound around 1100 °C. This reaction route successfully extended the traditional CVD reaction of AlCl 3 with NH 3 from producing solid AlN powder to preparing AlN hollow nanospheres.