Synthesis and Characterization of Boron Carbide Nanoparticles as Potential Boron-Rich Therapeutic Carriers.

Boron carbide is one of the hardest materials in the world which can be synthesized by various methods. The most common one is a carbothermic or magnesiothermic reduction of BO performed at high temperatures, where the obtained powder still requires grinding and purification. The goal of this research is to present the possibility of synthesizing BC nanoparticles from elements via vapor deposition and modifying the morphology of the obtained powders, particularly those synthesized at high temperatures. BC nanoparticles were synthesized in the process of direct synthesis from boron and carbon powders heated at the temperature of 1650 °C for 2 h under argon and characterized by using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and dynamic light scattering measurements. The physicochemical characteristics of BC nanoparticles were determined, including the diffusion coefficients, hydrodynamic diameter, electrophoretic mobilities, and zeta potentials. An evaluation of the obtained BC nanoparticles was performed on several human and mouse cell lines, showing the relation between the cytotoxicity effect and the size of the synthesized nanoparticles. Assessing the suitability of the synthesized BC for further modifications in terms of its applicability in boron neutron capture therapy was the overarching goal of this research.