Carbon (C) nanocapsules with gold nanoparticles and boron nitride (BN) nanocapsules with cobalt nanoparticles were fabricated, and their electronic properties were investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy at room temperature. The current-voltage characteristics of the BN nanocapsules showed Coulomb staircase-like behavior, and the photoluminescence spectrum of BN nanocapsules showed a peak at 3.8 eV. It is believed that the BN layers would act as tunnel barriers and that double-barrier tunnel junctions would be formed.

Keywords: boron nitride, carbon, cluster, TEM, STM, nanoparticle