Shock waves preparing cubic boron nitride nanoparticles

Abstract Cubic boron nitride (c-BN) nanoparticles, whose hardness at sizes below 10 nm is expected to reach a hardness as large as diamonds, have widely potential applications in many areas. However, the related preparation in large amount is very challenging. Here, we report that shock waves are utilized to achieve the productive synthesis of c-BN nanoparticles whose average size is 3 nm, the smallest size so far. This finding may offer an effective strategy for the synthesis of c-BN nanoparticles below 10 nm and expand vital applications in various fields.