Calculation of ground-state and optical properties of boron nitrides in the hexagonal, cubic, and wurtzite structures

Cross-plane Thermoelectric and Thermionic Transport across Au/h-BN/Graphene Heterostructures

The thermoelectric voltage generated at an atomically abrupt interface has not been studied exclusively because of the lack of established measurement tools and techniques. Atomically thin 2D materials provide an excellent platform for studying the thermoelectric transport at these interfaces. Here, we report a novel technique and device structure to probe the thermoelectric transport across Au/h-BN/graphene heterostructures. An indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent electrical heater is patterned on top of this heterostructure, enabling Raman spectroscopy and thermometry to be obtained from the graphene top electrode in situ under device operating conditions. Here, an AC voltage V(ω) is applied to the ITO heater and the thermoelectric voltage across the Au/h-BN/graphene heterostructure is measured at 2ω using a lock-in amplifier. We report the Seebeck coefficient for our thermoelectric structure to be -215 μV/K. The Au/graphene/h-BN heterostructures enable us to explore thermoelectric and thermal transport on nanometer length scales in a regime of extremely short length scales. The thermoelectric voltage generated at the graphene/h-BN interface is due to thermionic emission rather than bulk diffusive transport. As such, this should be thought of as an interfacial Seebeck coefficient rather than a Seebeck coefficient of the constituent materials.

Efficient Carrier-to-Exciton Conversion in Field Emission Tunnel Diodes Based on MIS-Type van der Waals Heterostack

We report on efficient carrier-to-exciton conversion and planar electroluminescence from tunnel diodes based on a metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) van der Waals heterostack consisting of few-layer graphene (FLG), hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), and monolayer tungsten disulfide (WS₂). These devices exhibit excitonic electroluminescence with extremely low threshold current density of a few pA·μm^-2, which is several orders of magnitude lower compared to the previously reported values for the best planar EL devices. Using a reference dye, we estimate the EL quantum efficiency to be ∼1% at low current density limit, which is of the same order of magnitude as photoluminescence quantum yield at the equivalent excitation rate. Our observations reveal that the efficiency of our devices is not limited by carrier-to-exciton conversion efficiency but by the inherent exciton-to-photon yield of the material. The device characteristics indicate that the light emission is triggered by injection of hot minority carriers (holes) to n-doped WS₂ by Fowler-Nordheim tunneling and that hBN serves as an efficient hole-transport and electron-blocking layer. Our findings offer insight into the intelligent design of van der Waals heterostructures and avenues for realizing efficient excitonic devices.

AlN/h-BN Heterostructures for Mg Dopant-Free Deep Ultraviolet Photonics

Aluminum-rich AlGaN is the ideal material system for emerging solid-state deep-ultraviolet (DUV) light sources. Devices operating in the near-UV spectral range have been realized; to date, however, the achievement of high-efficiency light-emitting diodes (LEDs) operating in the UV-C band (200-280 nm specifically) has been hindered by the extremely inefficient p-type conduction in AlGaN and the lack of DUV-transparent conductive electrodes. Here, we show that these critical challenges can be addressed by Mg dopant-free Al(Ga)N/h-BN nanowire heterostructures. By exploiting the acceptor-like boron vacancy formation, we have demonstrated that h-BN can function as a highly conductive, DUV-transparent electrode; the hole concentration is ∼10²⁰ cm^-3 at room temperature, which is 10 orders of magnitude higher than that previously measured for Mg-doped AlN epilayers. We have further demonstrated the first Al(Ga)N/h-BN LED, which exhibits strong emission at ∼210 nm. This work also reports the first achievement of Mg-free III-nitride LEDs that can exhibit high electrical efficiency (80% at 20 A/cm²).

Transport Properties of Hydrogenated Cubic Boron Nitride Nanofilms with Gold Electrodes from Density Functional Theory

The electrical transport properties of a four-layered hydrogen-terminated cubic boron nitride sub-nanometer film in contact with gold electrodes are investigated via density functional calculations. The sample exhibits asymmetric metallic surfaces, a fundamental feature that triggers the system to behave like a typical p-n junction diode for voltage bias in the interval -0.2 ≤ V ≤ 0.2, where a rectification ratio up to 62 is verified. Further, in the wider region -0.3 ≤ V ≤ 0.3, negative differential resistance with a peak-to-valley ratio of 10 is observed. The qualitative behavior of the I-V characteristics is described in terms of the hydrogenated cBN film equilibrium electronic structure. Such a film shows metallic surfaces due to surface electronic states at a fraction of eV above and below the Fermi level of the N-H terminated and B-H terminated surfaces, respectively, with a wide bulk-band gap characteristic of BN materials. Such a mechanism is supported by transmission coefficient calculations, with the Landauer-Büttiker formula governing the I-V characteristics.

Selective control of electron and hole tunneling in 2D assembly

Recent discoveries in the field of two-dimensional (2D) materials have led to the demonstration of exotic devices. Although they have new potential applications in electronics, thermally activated transport over a metal/semiconductor barrier sets physical subthermionic limitations. The challenge of realizing an innovative transistor geometry that exploits this concern remains. A new class of 2D assembly (namely, "carristor") with a configuration similar to the metal-insulator-semiconductor structure is introduced in this work. Superior functionalities, such as a current rectification ratio of up to 400,000 and a switching ratio of higher than 10⁶ at room temperature, are realized by quantum-mechanical tunneling of majority and minority carriers across the barrier. These carristors have a potential application as the fundamental building block of low-power consumption electronics.

Novel Two-Dimensional Silicon Dioxide with in-Plane Negative Poisson's Ratio

Silicon dioxide or silica, normally existing in various bulk crystalline and amorphous forms, was recently found to possess a two-dimensional structure. In this work, we use ab initio calculation and evolutionary algorithm to unveil three new two-dimensional (2D) silica structures whose thermal, dynamical, and mechanical stabilities are compared with many typical bulk silica. In particular, we find that all three of these 2D silica structures have large in-plane negative Poisson's ratios with the largest one being double of penta graphene and three times of borophenes. The negative Poisson's ratio originates from the interplay of lattice symmetry and Si-O tetrahedron symmetry. Slab silica is also an insulating 2D material with the highest electronic band gap (>7 eV) among reported 2D structures. These exotic 2D silica with in-plane negative Poisson's ratios and widest band gaps are expected to have great potential applications in nanomechanics and nanoelectronics.

BN-schwarzite: novel boron nitride spongy crystals

Novel 3-D BN crystals with a negative curvature, intrinsic porosity and a large specific surface area are proposed for the first time by first-principles study, suggesting that the BN crystals hold great promise in the fields of energy storage, molecular sieving, and environmental remediation.

Nanomechanical electro-optical modulator based on atomic heterostructures

Two-dimensional atomic heterostructures combined with metallic nanostructures allow one to realize strong light–matter interactions. Metallic nanostructures possess plasmonic resonances that can be modulated by graphene gating. In particular, spectrally narrow plasmon resonances potentially allow for very high graphene-enabled modulation depth. However, the modulation depths achieved with this approach have so far been low and the modulation wavelength range limited. Here we demonstrate a device in which a graphene/hexagonal boron nitride heterostructure is suspended over a gold nanostripe array. A gate voltage across these devices alters the location of the two-dimensional crystals, creating strong optical modulation of its reflection spectra at multiple wavelengths: in ultraviolet Fabry–Perot resonances, in visible and near-infrared diffraction-coupled plasmonic resonances and in the mid-infrared range of hexagonal boron nitride's upper Reststrahlen band. Devices can be extremely subwavelength in thickness and exhibit compact and truly broadband modulation of optical signals using heterostructures of two-dimensional materials.

Van der Waals heterostructures can be combined with metallic nanostructures to enable enhanced light–matter interaction. Here, the authors fabricate a broadband mechanical electro-optical modulator using a graphene/hexagonal boron nitride vertical heterojunction, suspended over a gold nanostripe array.

Anisotropic Dielectric Breakdown Strength of Single Crystal Hexagonal Boron Nitride

Dielectric breakdown has historically been of great interest from the perspectives of fundamental physics and electrical reliability. However, to date, the anisotropy in the dielectric breakdown has not been discussed. Here, we report an anisotropic dielectric breakdown strength (E_BD) for h-BN, which is used as an ideal substrate for two-dimensional (2D) material devices. Under a well-controlled relative humidity, E_BD values in the directions both normal and parallel to the c axis (E_BD⊥c and E_BD∥c) were measured to be 3 and 12 MV/cm, respectively. When the crystal structure is changed from sp³ of cubic-BN (c-BN) to sp² of h-BN, E_BD⊥c for h-BN becomes smaller than that for c-BN, while E_BD∥c for h-BN drastically increases. Therefore, h-BN can possess a relatively high E_BD concentrated only in the direction parallel to the c axis by conceding a weak bonding direction in the highly anisotropic crystal structure. This explains why the E_BD∥c for h-BN is higher than that for diamond. Moreover, the presented E_BD value obtained from the high quality bulk h-BN crystal can be regarded as the standard for qualifying the crystallinity of h-BN layers grown via chemical vapor deposition for future electronic applications.

Synthesis and Characterization of Hexagonal Boron Nitride as a Gate Dielectric

Two different growth modes of large-area hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) film, a conventional chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth mode and a high-pressure CVD growth mode, were compared as a function of the precursor partial pressure. Conventional self-limited CVD growth was obtained below a critical partial pressure of the borazine precursor, whereas a thick h-BN layer (thicker than a critical thickness of 10 nm) was grown beyond a critical partial pressure. An interesting coincidence of a critical thickness of 10 nm was identified in both the CVD growth behavior and in the breakdown electric field strength and leakage current mechanism, indicating that the electrical properties of the CVD h-BN film depended significantly on the film growth mode and the resultant film quality.

Temperature dependence of the electronic structure of semiconductors and insulators

The renormalization of electronic eigenenergies due to electron-phonon coupling (temperature dependence and zero-point motion effect) is sizable in many materials with light atoms. This effect, often neglected in ab initio calculations, can be computed using the perturbation-based Allen-Heine-Cardona theory in the adiabatic or non-adiabatic harmonic approximation. After a short description of the recent progresses in this field and a brief overview of the theory, we focus on the issue of phonon wavevector sampling convergence, until now poorly understood. Indeed, the renormalization is obtained numerically through a slowly converging q-point integration. For non-zero Born effective charges, we show that a divergence appears in the electron-phonon matrix elements at q → Γ, leading to a divergence of the adiabatic renormalization at band extrema. This problem is exacerbated by the slow convergence of Born effective charges with electronic wavevector sampling, which leaves residual Born effective charges in ab initio calculations on materials that are physically devoid of such charges. Here, we propose a solution that improves this convergence. However, for materials where Born effective charges are physically non-zero, the divergence of the renormalization indicates a breakdown of the adiabatic harmonic approximation, which we assess here by switching to the non-adiabatic harmonic approximation. Also, we study the convergence behavior of the renormalization and develop reliable extrapolation schemes to obtain the converged results. Finally, the adiabatic and non-adiabatic theories, with corrections for the slow Born effective charge convergence problem (and the associated divergence) are applied to the study of five semiconductors and insulators: α-AlN, β-AlN, BN, diamond, and silicon. For these five materials, we present the zero-point renormalization, temperature dependence, phonon-induced lifetime broadening, and the renormalized electronic band structure.

Evidence for Defect-Mediated Tunneling in Hexagonal Boron Nitride-Based Junctions

We investigate electron tunneling through atomically thin layers of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). Metal (Cr/Au) and semimetal (graphite) counter-electrodes are employed. While the direct tunneling resistance increases nearly exponentially with barrier thickness as expected, the thicker junctions also exhibit clear signatures of Coulomb blockade, including strong suppression of the tunnel current around zero bias and step-like features in the current at larger biases. The voltage separation of these steps suggests that single-electron charging of nanometer-scale defects in the hBN barrier layer are responsible for these signatures. We find that annealing the metal-hBN-metal junctions removes these defects and the Coulomb blockade signatures in the tunneling current.

Temperature dependent structural properties and bending rigidity of pristine and defective hexagonal boron nitride

Structural and thermodynamical properties of monolayer pristine and defective boron nitride sheets (h-BN) have been investigated in a wide temperature range by carrying out atomistic simulations using a tuned Tersoff-type inter-atomic empirical potential. The temperature dependence of lattice parameter, radial distribution function, specific heat at constant volume, linear thermal expansion coefficient and the height correlation function of the thermally excited ripples on pristine as well as defective h-BN sheet have been investigated. Specific heat shows considerable increase beyond the Dulong-Petit limit at high temperatures, which is interpreted as a signature of strong anharmonicity present in h-BN. Analysis of the height fluctuations, ⟨h2⟩, shows that the bending rigidity and variance of height fluctuations are strongly temperature dependent and this is explained using the continuum theory of membranes. A detailed study of the height-height correlation function shows deviation from the prediction of harmonic theory of membranes as a consequence of the strong anharmonicity in h-BN. It is also seen that the variance of the height fluctuations increases with defect concentration.

Realization of a p-n junction in a single layer boron-phosphide

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted growing interest due to their potential use in the next generation of nanoelectronic and optoelectronic applications. On the basis of first-principles calculations based on density functional theory, we first investigate the electronic and mechanical properties of single layer boron phosphide (h-BP). Our calculations show that h-BP is a mechanically stable 2D material with a direct band gap of 0.9 eV at the K-point, promising for both electronic and optoelectronic applications. We next investigate the electron transport properties of a p-n junction constructed from single layer boron phosphide (h-BP) using the non-equilibrium Green's function formalism. The n- and p-type doping of BP are achieved by substitutional doping of B with C and P with Si, respectively. C(Si) substitutional doping creates donor (acceptor) states close to the conduction (valence) band edge of BP, which are essential to construct an efficient p-n junction. By modifying the structure and doping concentration, it is possible to tune the electronic and transport properties of the p-n junction which exhibits not only diode characteristics with a large current rectification but also negative differential resistance (NDR). The degree of NDR can be easily tuned via device engineering.

Electronic and optical properties of pristine and boron–nitrogen doped graphyne nanotubes

The band gaps and optical responses of graphyne nanotubes can be engineered through the selection of the BN doping site and the chirality.

In situ Si doping of heteroepitaxially grown c-BN thin films at different temperatures

Phase pure cubic boron nitride (c-BN) films have been epitaxially grown on (001) diamond substrates at 420 °C, 600 °C and 900 °C.

Pressure evolution of the potential barriers for transformations of layered BN to dense structures

The energy barrier and stacking way from layered BN to dense phase under pressure.

Templated self-assembly and local doping of molecules on epitaxial hexagonal boron nitride

Using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, we show that monolayer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) on Ir(111) acts as ultrathin insulating layer for organic molecules, while simultaneously templating their self-assembly. Tunneling spectroscopy experiments on cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPC) reveal narrow molecular resonances and indicate that the charge state of CoPC is periodically modulated by the h-BN moiré superstructure. Molecules in the second layer show site-selective adsorption behavior, allowing the synthesis of molecular dimers that are spatially ordered and inaccessible by usual chemical means.

A novel superhard BN allotrope under cold compression of h-BN

Using first-principles calculations, we identify a new orthorhombic boron nitride (BN) phase (namely, P-BN; space group: Pmn2(1)), which has similar topological structure to Bct-BN and Z-BN, but without the six-membered ring. This P-BN allotrope is energetically more favorable than previously reported Pnma-BN, Bct-BN and Z-BN phases. With only 0.06 eV/atom less stable than h-BN at ambient pressure, it can be formed from h-BN under cold compression at a low pressure of 4 GPa. The theoretical hardness and bulk modulus of the P-BN crystal are 403 GPa and 60.5 GPa, respectively, comparable to those of c-BN. Moreover, the P-BN phase along with Bct-BN and Z-BN are suggested as possible intermediate phases between h-BN and w-BN, which can be qualitatively explained by two empirical rules of Ostwald and Ostwald-Volmer.

New boron nitride structures B4N4: a first-principles random searching application

The present investigation searched for new boron nitride (BN) polymorphs by means of first-principles simulations. The ab initio random structure searching strategy was implemented. The electronic and mechanical properties and equation of states of three new metastable BN crystal forms with equilibrium energies close to the most stable B4N4 form, c-BN, are presented. Results show either dynamically stable semiconductors or insulators, one of which is even slightly harder than c-BN. The equation of states is also presented and a phase transition is predicted.

First-principles study of the effects of mechanical strains on the radiation hardness of hexagonal boron nitride monolayers

We investigate the strain effect on the radiation hardness of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) monolayers using density functional theory calculations. Both compressive and tensile strains are studied in elastic domains along the zigzag, armchair, and biaxial directions. We observe a reduction in radiation hardness to form boron and nitrogen monovacancies under all strains. The origin of this effect is the strain-induced reduction of the energy barrier to displace an atom. An implication of our results is the vulnerability of strained nanomaterials to radiation damage.

The Structure and Light Emitting of Silicon-Doped Boron Nitride Nanotubes

In this paper, we report the structural and optical properties of bamboo-like silicon-doped boron nitride nanotubes. The morphologies and structures of the nanotubes were characterized using electron microscopy and FTIR spectroscopy. Three strong broad peaks centered at 1.76ev, 2.20ev, 2.40ev were observed from the room-temperature PL spectrum of the nanotubes. The spectrum suggested the existence of multifold energy levels within the band gap.

Electron tunneling through ultrathin boron nitride crystalline barriers

We investigate the electronic properties of ultrathin hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) crystalline layers with different conducting materials (graphite, graphene, and gold) on either side of the barrier layer. The tunnel current depends exponentially on the number of h-BN atomic layers, down to a monolayer thickness. Conductive atomic force microscopy scans across h-BN terraces of different thickness reveal a high level of uniformity in the tunnel current. Our results demonstrate that atomically thin h-BN acts as a defect-free dielectric with a high breakdown field. It offers great potential for applications in tunnel devices and in field-effect transistors with a high carrier density in the conducting channel.

Structure and stability under pressure of cubic and hexagonal diamond crystals of C, BN and Si from first principles

Application has been made of first-principles total-energy band-structure theory to find the equilibrium states under constant pressure of the super-hard cubic diamond (cd) and hexagonal diamond (hd) structures of carbon (C), boron nitride (BN) and medium-hard silicon (Si). The absolute stability of the equilibrium state is found by determinations of the breakdown under pressure of several deformations of lattice parameters around the equilibrium state. The calculations show that the hd structures are much stronger than the cd structures. Thus the γ angle of the hd structure of both C and BN is stable for pressures greater than 20 Mbar while the γ angle of the cd structures breaks down at 13 and 11 Mbar respectively. Also the bulk moduli B of the hd structure of C and BN are substantially greater than the B values of the cd structure above 2 Mbar; the B values of hd structures of C and BN are 20% greater than cd structures at p = 20 Mbar. However the cd structures have greater stability relative to the hd structures as shown by a lower Gibbs free energy at pressures up to 20 Mbar. Comparison is made with the pressure dependences of the medium-hard crystals of Si in the same structures, which show notably different behavior.

Controlled radiation damage and edge structures in boron nitride membranes

We show that hexagonal boron nitride membranes synthesized by chemical exfoliation are more resistant to electron beam irradiation at 80 kV than is graphene, consistent with quantum chemical calculations describing the radiation damage processes. Monolayer hexagonal boron nitride does not form vacancy defects or amorphize during extended electron beam irradiation. Zigzag edge structures are predominant in thin membranes for both a freestanding boron nitride monolayer and for a supported multilayer step edge. We have also determined that the elemental termination species in the zigzag edges is predominantly N.

Boron nitride nanotubes and nanosheets

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a layered material with a graphite-like structure in which planar networks of BN hexagons are regularly stacked. As the structural analogue of a carbon nanotube (CNT), a BN nanotube (BNNT) was first predicted in 1994; since then, it has become one of the most intriguing non-carbon nanotubes. Compared with metallic or semiconducting CNTs, a BNNT is an electrical insulator with a band gap of ca. 5 eV, basically independent of tube geometry. In addition, BNNTs possess a high chemical stability, excellent mechanical properties, and high thermal conductivity. The same advantages are likely applicable to a graphene analogue-a monatomic layer of a hexagonal BN. Such unique properties make BN nanotubes and nanosheets a promising nanomaterial in a variety of potential fields such as optoelectronic nanodevices, functional composites, hydrogen accumulators, electrically insulating substrates perfectly matching the CNT, and graphene lattices. This review gives an introduction to the rich BN nanotube/nanosheet field, including the latest achievements in the synthesis, structural analyses, and property evaluations, and presents the purpose and significance of this direction in the light of the general nanotube/nanosheet developments.

Ab initio finite-temperature excitons

The coupling with the lattice vibrations is shown to drastically modify the state-of-the-art picture of the excitonic states based on a frozen-atom approximation. The zero-point vibrations renormalize the bare energies and optical strengths. Excitons acquire a nonradiative lifetime that decreases with increasing temperature. The optical brightness turns out to be strongly temperature-dependent such as to induce bright to dark (and vice versa) transitions. The finite-temperature experimental optical absorption spectra of bulk Si and hexagonal BN are successfully explained without using any external parameter.

Soft-X-ray emission spectroscopy based on TEM—Toward a total electronic structure analysis

The construction and basic performances of wavelength-dispersive soft-X-ray emission spectroscopy (SXES) devices attached to a transmission electron microscope were presented. An energy resolution of 0.23 eV was obtained at the aluminum L-emission energy. A Cu L-emission spectrum obtained showed four L-emission lines of Lalpha, Lbeta, Ll and Leta. Angle-resolved measurements of boron K-emission spectra of hexagonal-BN (h-BN) were presented. It clearly showed anisotropic emission intensity of the transition from pi-bonding state to 1s core hole. B K-emission spectra of h- and cubic-BNs showed a difference in energy positions of sigma-bonding peaks. An electron energy-loss spectrum of B K-edge and a B K-emission spectrum of cubic-BN were compared with a result of a LDA band calculation. It showed that high symmetry points in the band diagram appeared as peak and/or shoulder structures in those spectra. Interband transitions appeared in the imaginary part of the dielectric function of cubic-BN experimentally obtained were assigned in the band diagram. These results demonstrated a method to analyze the entire electronic structure of materials in the nanoscale using high energy-resolution spectroscopy methods based on transmission electron microscopy.

Huge excitonic effects in layered hexagonal boron nitride

The all-electron GW approximation energy band gap of bulk hexagonal boron nitride is shown to be of indirect type. The resulting computed in-plane polarized optical spectrum, obtained by solving the Bethe-Salpeter equation for the electron-hole two-particle Green function, is in excellent agreement with experiment and has a strong anisotropy compared to out-of-plane polarized spectrum. A detailed analysis of the excitonic structures within the band gap shows that the low-lying excitons belong to the Frenkel class and are tightly confined within the layers. The calculated exciton binding energy is much larger than that obtained by Watanabe et al. [Nat. Mater. 3, 404 (2004).] based on a Wannier model assuming h-BN to be a direct-band-gap semiconductor.

Optical transitions in single-wall boron nitride nanotubes

Optical transitions in single-wall boron nitride nanotubes are investigated by means of optical absorption spectroscopy. Three absorption lines are observed. Two of them (at 4.45 and 5.5 eV) result from the quantification involved by the rolling up of the hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) sheet. The nature of these lines is discussed, and two interpretations are proposed. A comparison with single-wall carbon nanotubes leads one to interpret these lines as transitions between pairs of van Hove singularities in the one-dimensional density of states of boron nitride single-wall nanotubes. But the confinement energy due to the rolling up of the h-BN sheet cannot explain a gap width of the boron nitride nanotubes below the h-BN gap. The low energy line is then attributed to the existence of a Frenkel exciton with a binding energy in the 1 eV range.

Direct-bandgap properties and evidence for ultraviolet lasing of hexagonal boron nitride single crystal

The demand for compact ultraviolet laser devices is increasing, as they are essential in applications such as optical storage, photocatalysis, sterilization, ophthalmic surgery and nanosurgery. Many researchers are devoting considerable effort to finding materials with larger bandgaps than that of GaN. Here we show that hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is a promising material for such laser devices because it has a direct bandgap in the ultraviolet region. We obtained a pure hBN single crystal under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions, which shows a dominant luminescence peak and a series of s-like exciton absorption bands around 215 nm, proving it to be a direct-bandgap material. Evidence for room-temperature ultraviolet lasing at 215 nm by accelerated electron excitation is provided by the enhancement and narrowing of the longitudinal mode, threshold behaviour of the excitation current dependence of the emission intensity, and a far-field pattern of the transverse mode.

The formation of sp3 bonding in compressed BN

Attributed to their specific atomic bonding, the soft, graphite-like, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and its superhard, diamond-like, cubic polymorph (c-BN) are important technological materials with a wide range of applications. At high pressure and temperature, h-BN can directly transform to a hexagonal close-packed polymorph (w-BN) that can be partially quenched after releasing pressure. Previous theoretical calculations and experimental measurements (primarily on quenched samples) provided substantial information on the transition, but left unsettled questions due to the lack of in situ characterization at high pressures. Using inelastic X-ray scattering to probe the boron and nitrogen near K-edge spectroscopy, here we report the first observation of the conversion process of boron and nitrogen sp(2)- and p-bonding to sp(3) and the directional nature of the sp(3) bonding. In combination with in situ X-ray diffraction probe, we have further clarified the structure transformation mechanism. The present archetypal example opens two enormous, element-specific, research areas on high-pressure bonding evolutions of boron and nitrogen; each of the two elements and their respective compounds have displayed a wealth of intriguing pressure-induced phenomena that result from bonding changes, including metallization, superconductivity, semiconductivity, polymerization and superhardness.

Improved comparison of low energy loss spectra with band structure calculations: the example of BN filaments

Electron energy loss spectra have been recorded from BN filaments for energy losses between 2 and 50eV. They compare well with other BN shapes (nanotubes, sheets, etc). The interpretation of all the peaks in the spectra has been made via an ab initio calculation using the FLAPW code WIEN97 (A full potential linearized augmened plane wave package for calculating crystal properties, Karlheinz Schwarz, Techn. Universität Wien, Austria, 1999. ISBN 3-9501031-0-4). In order to fully simulate the observed spectra, the geometry particular to the EELS experiment has been taken into account making use of Wessjohann's relativistic formula for thin anisotropic slabs (Phys. Stat. Sol. B 77 (1976) 535). Furthermore, the effect of the convergent beam has been introduced into the simulation and has been proven to be an important parameter in obtaining the corresponding peak intensities.