Advances in 2D boron nitride nanostructures: nanosheets, nanoribbons, nanomeshes, and hybrids with graphene

Direction-controlled chemical doping for reversible G-phonon mixing in ABC trilayer graphene

Not only the apparent atomic arrangement but the charge distribution also defines the crystalline symmetry that dictates the electronic and vibrational structures. In this work, we report reversible and direction-controlled chemical doping that modifies the inversion symmetry of AB-bilayer and ABC-trilayer graphene. For the "top-down" and "bottom-up" hole injection into graphene sheets, we employed molecular adsorption of electronegative I2 and annealing-induced interfacial hole doping, respectively. The chemical breakdown of the inversion symmetry led to the mixing of the G phonons, Raman active Eg and Raman-inactive Eu modes, which was manifested as the two split G peaks, G(-) and G(+). The broken inversion symmetry could be recovered by removing the hole dopants by simple rinsing or interfacial molecular replacement. Alternatively, the symmetry could be regained by double-side charge injection, which eliminated G(-) and formed an additional peak, G(o), originating from the barely doped interior layer. Chemical modification of crystalline symmetry as demonstrated in the current study can be applied to other low dimensional crystals in tuning their various material properties.

Scalable exfoliation process for highly soluble boron nitride nanoplatelets by hydroxide-assisted ball milling

The scalable preparation of two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is essential for practical applications. Despite intense research in this area, high-yield production of two-dimensional h-BN with large-size and high solubility remains a key challenge. In the present work, we propose a scalable exfoliation process for hydroxyl-functionalized BN nanoplatelets (OH-BNNPs) by a simple ball milling of BN powders in the presence of sodium hydroxide via the synergetic effect of chemical peeling and mechanical shear forces. The hydroxide-assisted ball milling process results in relatively large flakes with an average size of 1.5 μm with little damage to the in-plane structure of the OH-BNNP and high yields of 18%. The resultant OH-BNNP samples can be redispersed in various solvents and form stable dispersions that can be used for multiple purposes. The incorporation of the BNNPs into the polyethylene matrix effectively enhanced the barrier properties of the polyethylene due to increased tortuosity of the diffusion path of the gas molecules. Hydroxide-assisted ball milling process can thus provide simple and efficient approaches to scalable preparation of large-size and highly soluble BNNPs. Moreover, this exfoliation process is not only easily scalable but also applicable to other layered materials.

Two-dimensional soft nanomaterials: a fascinating world of materials

The discovery of graphene has triggered great interest in two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials for scientists in chemistry, physics, materials science, and related areas. In the family of newly developed 2D nanostructured materials, 2D soft nanomaterials, including graphene, Bx Cy Nz nanosheets, 2D polymers, covalent organic frameworks (COFs), and 2D supramolecular organic nanostructures, possess great advantages in light-weight, structural control and flexibility, diversity of fabrication approaches, and so on. These merits offer 2D soft nanomaterials a wide range of potential applications, such as in optoelectronics, membranes, energy storage and conversion, catalysis, sensing, biotechnology, etc. This review article provides an overview of the development of 2D soft nanomaterials, with special highlights on the basic concepts, molecular design principles, and primary synthesis approaches in the context.

Ultrathin two-dimensional inorganic materials: new opportunities for solid state nanochemistry

CONSPECTUS: The ultimate goal of solid state chemistry is to gain a clear correlation between atomic, defect, and electronic structure and intrinsic properties of solid state materials. Solid materials can generally be classified as amorphous, quasicrystalline, and crystalline based on their atomic arrangement, in which crystalline materials can be further divided into single crystals, microcrystals, and nanocrystals. Conventional solid state chemistry mainly focuses on studying single crystals and microcrystals, while recently nanocrystals have become a hot research topic in the field of solid state chemistry. As more and more nanocrystalline materials have been artificially fabricated, the solid state chemistry for studying those nanosolids has become a new subdiscipline: solid state nanochemistry. However, solid state nanochemistry, usually called "nanochemistry" for short, primarily studies the microstructures and macroscopic properties of a nanomaterial's aggregation states. Due to abundant microstructures in the aggregation states, it is only possible to build a simple but imprecise correlation between the microscopic morphology and the macroscopic properties of the nanostructures. Notably, atomically thin two-dimensional inorganic materials provide an ideal platform to establish clear structure-property relationships in the field of solid state nanochemistry, thanks to their homogeneous dispersion without the assistance of a capping ligand. In addition, their atomic structures including coordination number, bond length, and disorder degree of the examined atoms can be clearly disclosed by X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. Also, their more exposed interior atoms would inevitably induce the formation of various defects, which would have a non-negligible effect on their physicochemical properties. Based on the obtained atomic and defect structural characteristics, density-functional calculations are performed to study their electronic structures. Then, after the properties of the individual ultrathin two-dimensional materials or their assembled highly oriented thin film-based nanodevices are measured, the explicit relationship between atomic, defect, and electronic structure and intrinsic properties could be established. In this Account, we focus on our recent advances in the field of solid state nanochemistry, including atomic structure characterization of ultrathin two-dimensional inorganic materials by X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, characterization of their different types of structural defects by positron annihilation spectra and electron spin resonance, and investigation of their electronic structure by density-functional calculations. In addition, we summarize the close correlation between atomic, defect, and electronic structure variations and the optoelectronic, electrical, magnetic, and thermal properties of ultrathin two-dimensional materials. Finally, we also propose the major challenges and opportunities that face solid state nanochemistry. We believe that all the past achievements in ultrathin two-dimensional materials could bring new opportunities for solid state nanochemistry.

Graphene-like BN/gelatin nanobiocomposites for gas barrier applications

We report a simple, effective and green way for the fabrication of gelatin-graphene-like BN nanocomposites for gas barrier applications. The reinforcement effect of graphene-like BN on the gelatin properties is discussed. The obtained graphene-like BN nanocomposites show good dispersion in the gelatin matrix and remarkable capability to improve the crystallinity and the barrier properties of gelatin. The barrier properties of gelatin/BN nanocomposites have been enhanced by a factor of 500 at 2 bar compared to a gelatin film without graphene-like BN. The greatly improved performance and the high stability of these nanocomposites may lead exciting materials for their implantation in gas barrier applications.

Synthesis of large and few atomic layers of hexagonal boron nitride on melted copper

Hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets (h-BNNS) have been proposed as an ideal substrate for graphene-based electronic devices, but the synthesis of large and homogeneous h-BNNS is still challenging. In this contribution, we report a facile synthesis of few-layer h-BNNS on melted copper via an atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition process. Comparative studies confirm the advantage of using melted copper over solid copper as a catalyst substrate. The former leads to the formation of single crystalline h-BNNS that is several microns in size and mostly in mono- and bi-layer forms, in contrast to the polycrystalline and mixed multiple layers (1-10) yielded by the latter. This difference is likely to be due to the significantly reduced and uniformly distributed nucleation sites on the smooth melted surface, in contrast to the large amounts of unevenly distributed nucleation sites that are associated with grain boundaries and other defects on the solid surface. This synthesis is expected to contribute to the development of large-scale manufacturing of h-BNNS/graphene-based electronics.

A high-yield ionic liquid-promoted synthesis of boron nitride nanosheets by direct exfoliation

Ionic liquids dramatically promote exfoliation of bulk hexagonal boron nitrides into single- and few-layer boron nitride nanosheets with micron-sized edges.

Liquid phase exfoliation and crumpling of inorganic nanosheets

Experiment and simulation demonstrate the polymer-assisted dispersion of inorganic 2D layered nanomaterials such as boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs), MoS₂ nanosheets, and WS₂ nanosheets; spray drying can be used to alter such nanosheets into a crumpled morphology.

Graphene allotropes under extreme uniaxial strain: an ab initio theoretical study

We study ab intio the mechanical properties of selected planar allotropes of graphene, up to their fracture limit and examine strain as a possible factor for their synthesis.

Exploring the potential of exfoliated ternary ultrathin Ti4AlN3 nanosheets for fabricating hybrid patterned polymer brushes

A new type of ternary Ti₄AlN₃ nanosheets was prepared for the first time. The obtained sheets with surface groups could be further used to fabricate micro-patterns and subsequently functionalized to achieve hybrid patterned polymer brushes.

Size-selected boron nitride nanosheets as oxygen-atom corrosion resistant fillers

Boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) as fillers in polymeric composites significantly enhance the oxygen-atom corrosion resistance due to the bonding and barrier effects.

Theoretical study of electronic and tribological properties of h-BNC2/graphene, h-BNC2/h-BN and h-BNC2/h-BNC2bilayers

Density functional theory methods are used to investigate the interlayer sliding energy landscape, binding energy and interlayer spacing between h-BNC₂/graphene (I), h-BNC₂/h-BN (II) and h-BNC₂/h-BNC₂(III) bilayer structures.

Flexible band gap tuning of hexagonal boron nitride sheets interconnected by acetylenic bonds

Periodically embedded acetylenic chains in BN sheets provide flexible band-gap engineering with opposite overall tendencies in oscillating manner.

In Situ Observations during Chemical Vapor Deposition of Hexagonal Boron Nitride on Polycrystalline Copper

Using a combination of complementary in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, we study the fundamental mechanisms underlying the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) on polycrystalline Cu. The nucleation and growth of h-BN layers is found to occur isothermally, i.e., at constant elevated temperature, on the Cu surface during exposure to borazine. A Cu lattice expansion during borazine exposure and B precipitation from Cu upon cooling highlight that B is incorporated into the Cu bulk, i.e., that growth is not just surface-mediated. On this basis we suggest that B is taken up in the Cu catalyst while N is not (by relative amounts), indicating element-specific feeding mechanisms including the bulk of the catalyst. We further show that oxygen intercalation readily occurs under as-grown h-BN during ambient air exposure, as is common in further processing, and that this negatively affects the stability of h-BN on the catalyst. For extended air exposure Cu oxidation is observed, and upon re-heating in vacuum an oxygen-mediated disintegration of the h-BN film via volatile boron oxides occurs. Importantly, this disintegration is catalyst mediated, i.e., occurs at the catalyst/h-BN interface and depends on the level of oxygen fed to this interface. In turn, however, deliberate feeding of oxygen during h-BN deposition can positively affect control over film morphology. We discuss the implications of these observations in the context of corrosion protection and relate them to challenges in process integration and heterostructure CVD.

Two-dimensional heterostructures: fabrication, characterization, and application

Two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene, hexagonal boron nitrides (hBN), and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs, e.g., MoS2) have attracted considerable attention in the past few years because of their novel properties and versatile potential applications. These 2D layers can be integrated into a monolayer (lateral 2D heterostructure) or a multilayer stack (vertical 2D heterostructure). The resulting artificial 2D structures provide access to new properties and applications beyond their component 2D atomic crystals and hence, they are emerging as a new exciting field of research. In this article, we review recent progress on the fabrication, characterization, and applications of various 2D heterostructures.

Sonochemical fabrication of gold nanoparticles-boron nitride sheets nanocomposites for enzymeless hydrogen peroxide detection

A simple sonochemical route was developed for the preparation of gold nanoparticles/boron nitride sheets (AuNPs/BNS) nanocomposites without using reducing or stabilizing agents. Transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and UV-vis absorption spectra were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the nanocomposites. The experimental results showed that AuNPs with approximately 20nm were uniformly attached onto the BNS surface. It was found that the AuNPs/BNS nanocomposites exhibited good catalytic activity for the reduction of H2O2. The modified electrochemical sensor showed a linear range from 0.04 to 50mM with a detection limit of 8.3μM at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The findings provide a low-cost approach to the production of stable aqueous dispersions of nanoparticles/BNS nanocomposites.

Tunable magnetic and electronic properties of BN nanosheets with triangular defects: a first-principles study

Experimentally, vacancy defects are commonly observed in BN nanosheets, expecially nitrogen-terminated triangular defects. Based on first-principles calculations, we systematically investigate the magnetic and electronic properties of BN nanosheets with these triangular vacancies (referred to as Vi(i = 1 - 4) defects with i representing the number of N atoms on each side of the triangle). It is found that the Vi defects bring diverse magnetic states into BN sheets, which are ferrimagnetic for V1, nonmagnetic for V2, ferrimagnetic for V3 and antiferromagnetic for V4 defects. When the isotropic strains are applied, the ferrimagnetic state is sustained for V1 defect, whereas the V2 defect undergoes a nonmagnetic to antiferromagnetic transition and the V3, V4 defects experience an abrupt change in the absolute magnetic moments under small strains, which are originated from the N-N bond breaking at these defects. Different from the BN nanoribbons, the antiparallel coupling is more favorable for the N atoms at the edges of triangular defects. Due to the triangular defects, the band gaps of BN sheets are reduced substantially, which could be further modulated by the strains. When the defective BN sheets serve as a substrate for graphene, the V1, V3 and V4 defects in BN would induce p-type doping in the graphene sheet. Interestingly, when the V2 defect is embedded in BN sheets, the doping behavior of graphene can be well-controlled by the strain, which is charge neutral at the strain-free state and p-type doped under strains. Our studies demonstrate that the rich magnetic and electronic properties of BN sheets with triangular defects enable the system's potential applications in nanodevices.

High-yield synthesis of boron nitride nanoribbons via longitudinal splitting of boron nitride nanotubes by potassium vapor

Boron nitride nanoribbons (BNNRs) are theorized to have interesting electronic and magnetic properties, but their high-yield synthesis remains challenging. Here we demonstrate that potassium-induced splitting of BN nanotubes (BNNTs) is an effective high-yield method to obtain bulk quantities of high-quality BNNRs if a proper precursor material is chosen. The resulting BNNRs are crystalline; many of them have a high aspect ratio and straight parallel edges. We have observed numerous few-layer and monolayer BNNRs; the multilayered ribbons predominantly have an AA' stacking. We present a detailed microscopy study of BNNRs that provides important insights into the mechanism of the formation of BNNRs from BNNTs. We also demonstrate that the BNNTs prepared by different synthetic approaches could exhibit dramatically different reactivities in the potassium splitting reaction, which highlights the need for future comparison studies of BN nanomaterials prepared using different methods to better understand their preparation-dependent physical and chemical properties.

Biomass-directed synthesis of 20 g high-quality boron nitride nanosheets for thermoconductive polymeric composites

Electrically insulating boron nitride (BN) nanosheets possess thermal conductivity similar to and thermal and chemical stabilities superior to those of electrically conductive graphenes. Currently the production and application of BN nanosheets are rather limited due to the complexity of the BN binary compound growth, as opposed to massive graphene production. Here we have developed the original strategy "biomass-directed on-site synthesis" toward mass production of high-crystal-quality BN nanosheets. The strikingly effective, reliable, and high-throughput (dozens of grams) synthesis is directed by diverse biomass sources through the carbothermal reduction of gaseous boron oxide species. The produced BN nanosheets are single crystalline, laterally large, and atomically thin. Additionally, they assemble themselves into the same macroscopic shapes peculiar to original biomasses. The nanosheets are further utilized for making thermoconductive and electrically insulating epoxy/BN composites with a 14-fold increase in thermal conductivity, which are envisaged to be particularly valuable for future high-performance electronic packaging materials.

Dispersed Cu₂O octahedrons on h-BN nanosheets for p-nitrophenol reduction

We demonstrate here that two-dimensional boron nitride (h-BN) nanosheets can be employed as a robust supporting substrate to incorporate function metal oxides. The Cu2O@h-BN composites are thus obtained by dispersing Cu2O octahedrons on the surfaces of h-BN nanosheets. The -OH and -NH groups on the surfaces of h-BN nanosheets are found to be beneficial for anchoring Cu2O octahedrons. Moreover, the Cu2O@h-BN composites exhibit superior activity for the reduction of p-nitrophenol to pure Cu2O crystals and h-BN nanosheets. The h-BN component in the composites plays a critical role in the formation and adsorbing of the p-nitrophenolate ions, and, at the same time, Cu2O components react with brohydride ions and transfer a surface hydrogen species and electrons, resulting in the reduction of p-nitrophenol into p-aminophenol. Our results provide a new approach for the rational design and development of metal oxides composites and open the way to a range of important applications of h-BN-based materials.

Tuning band gaps of BN nanosheets and nanoribbons via interfacial dihalogen bonding and external electric field

Density functional theory computations with dispersion corrections (DFT-D) were performed to investigate the dihalogen interactions and their effect on the electronic band structures of halogenated (fluorinated and chlorinated) BN bilayers and aligned halogen-passivated zigzag BN nanoribbons (BNNRs). Our results reveal the presence of considerable homo-halogen (FF and ClCl) interactions in bilayer fluoro (chloro)-BN sheets and the aligned F (Cl)-ZBNNRs, as well as substantial hetero-halogen (FCl) interactions in hybrid fluoro-BN/chloro-BN bilayer and F-Cl-ZBNNRs. The existence of interfacial dihalogen interactions leads to significant band-gap modifications for the studied BN nanosystems. Compared with the individual fluoro (chloro)-BN monolayers or pristine BNNRs, the gap reduction in bilayer fluoro-BN (B-FF-N array), hybrid fluoro-BN/chloro-BN bilayer (N-FCl-N array), aligned Cl-ZBNNRs (B-ClCl-N alignment), and hybrid F-Cl-ZBNNRs (B-FCl-N alignment) is mainly due to interfacial polarizations, while the gap narrowing in bilayer chloro-BN (N-ClCl-N array) is ascribed to the interfacial nearly-free-electron states. Moreover, the binding strengths and electronic properties of the interactive BN nanosheets and nanoribbons can be controlled by applying an external electric field, and extensive modulation from large-gap to medium-gap semiconductors, or even metals can be realized by adjusting the direction and strength of the applied electric field. This interesting strategy for band gap control based on weak interactions offers unique opportunities for developing BN nanoscale electronic devices.

Fringe structures and tunable bandgap width of 2D boron nitride nanosheets

We report studies of the surface fringe structures and tunable bandgap width of atomic-thin boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs). BNNSs are synthesized by using digitally controlled pulse deposition techniques. The nanoscale morphologies of BNNSs are characterized by using scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In general, the BNNSs appear microscopically flat in the case of low temperature synthesis, whereas at high temperature conditions, it yields various curved structures. Experimental data reveal the evolutions of fringe structures. Functionalization of the BNNSs is completed with hydrogen plasma beam source in order to efficiently control bandgap width. The characterizations are based on Raman scattering spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and FTIR transmittance spectra. Red shifts of spectral lines are clearly visible after the functionalization, indicating the bandgap width of the BNNSs has been changed. However, simple treatments with hydrogen gas do not affect the bandgap width of the BNNSs.

Proton-functionalized two-dimensional graphitic carbon nitride nanosheet: an excellent metal-/label-free biosensing platform

Ultrathin graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets, due to their interesting two-dimensional graphene-like structure and unique physicochemical properties, have attracted great research attention recently. Here, a new approach is developed to prepare, for the first time, proton-functionalized ultrathin g-C3N4 nanosheets by sonication-exfoliation of bulk g-C3N4 under an acid condition. This method not only reduces the exfoliation time from more than 10 h to 2 h, but also endows the nanosheets with positive charges. Besides retaining the properties of g-C3N4, the obtained nanosheets with the thickness of 2-4 nm (i.e., 6-12 atomic monolayers) also exhibit large specific surface area of 305 m(2) g(-1), enhanced fluorescence intensity, and excellent water dispersion stability due to their surface protonation and ultrathin morphology. The well-dispersed protonated g-C3N4 nanosheets are able to interact with negatively charged heparin, which results in the quenching of g-C3N4 fluorescence. A highly sensitive and highly selective heparin sensing platform based on protonated g-C3N4 nanosheets is established. This metal-free and fluorophore label-free system can reach the lowest heparin detection limit of 18 ng mL(-1).

Construction of 2D atomic crystals on transition metal surfaces: graphene, silicene, and hafnene

The synthesis and structures of graphene on Ru(0001) and Pt(111), silicene on Ag(111) and Ir(111) and the honeycomb hafnium lattice on Ir(111) are reviewed. Epitaxy on a transition metal (TM) substrate is a pro-mising method to produce a variety of two dimensional (2D) atomic crystals which potentially can be used in next generation electronic devices. This method is particularly valuable in the case of producing 2D materials that do not exist in 3D forms, for instance, silicene. Based on the intensive investigations of epitaxial graphene on TM in recent years, it is known that the quality of graphene is affected by many factors, including the interaction between the 2D material overlayer and the substrate, the lattice mismatch, the nucleation density at the early stage of growth. It is found that these factors also apply to many other epitaxial 2D crystals on TM. The knowledge from the reviewed systems will shine light on the design and synthesis of new 2D crystals with novel properties.

Theoretical prediction of the mechanisms for defect healing or oxygen doping in a hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) sheet with nitrogen vacancies by NO2 molecules

Healing defects in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN sheet) or doping it with oxygen can modify or restore its physical properties, which would increase its range of potential applications. Thus, it is very important to find an efficient method of healing or a BN sheet or doping it with oxygen. In this work, using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we identified a mechanism for healing h-BN sheets with nitrogen vacancies (VN) or doping BN sheets with oxygen using NO2 molecules. The results indicate that such reactions involve three steps: (1) the chemisorption of NO2, (2) the incorporation of the N or O atom of NO2 into the defective h-BN sheet, and (3) the removal of the adsorbed O atom or NO molecule. We found that the proposed mechanism is theoretically possible and has the following advantages. First, the barrier is about 0.60 eV for the formation of the O-doped h-BN sheet. For the healing process, because the energy released during NO2 chemisorption (-4.94 eV) completely offsets the subsequent barrier (1.17 eV), a perfect h-BN sheet can easily be achieved by using NO2 and an h-BN sheet with VB defects as reactants. Second, no catalyst is needed, and thus there is no need for a purification step to remove the catalyst. Third, NO2, a toxic gas, can be used as a reactant and will then be reduced to O2 or NO. Fourth, NO2 shows high selectivity for vacancy defect sites. Our findings show that this is an effective theoretical method of synthesizing O-doped h-BN sheets or of healing defective h-BN sheets, which should prove useful in the design of h-BN sheet-based devices.

Boron nitride nanosheet on gold as an electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction: theoretical suggestion and experimental proof

Boron nitride (BN), which is an insulator with a wide band gap, supported on Au is theoretically suggested and experimentally proved to act as an electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Density-functional theory calculations show that the band gap of a free h-BN monolayer is 4.6 eV but a slight protrusion of the unoccupied BN states toward the Fermi level is observed if BN is supported on Au(111) due to the BN-Au interaction. A theoretically predicted metastable configuration of O2 on h-BN/Au(111), which can serve as precursors for ORR, and free energy diagrams for ORR on h-BN/Au(111) via two- and four-electron pathways show that ORR to H2O2 is possible at this electrode. It is experimentally proved that overpotential for ORR at the gold electrode is significantly reduced by depositing BN nanosheets. No such effect is observed at the glassy carbon electrode, demonstrating the importance of BN-substrate interaction for h-BN to act as the ORR electrocatalyst. A possible role of the edge of the BN islands for ORR is also discussed.

Highly thermally conductive papers with percolative layered boron nitride nanosheets

In this work, we report a dielectric nanocomposite paper with layered boron nitride (BN) nanosheets wired by one-dimensional (1D) nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) that has superior thermal and mechanical properties. These nanocomposite papers are fabricated from a filtration of BN and NFC suspensions, in which NFC is used as a stabilizer to stabilize BN nanosheets. In these nanocomposite papers, two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets form a thermally conductive network, while 1D NFC provides mechanical strength. A high thermal conductivity has been achieved along the BN paper surface (up to 145.7 W/m K for 50 wt % of BN), which is an order of magnitude higher than that in randomly distributed BN nanosheet composites and is even comparable to the thermal conductivity of aluminum alloys. Such a high thermal conductivity is mainly attributed to the structural alignment within the BN nanosheet papers; the effects of the interfacial thermal contact resistance are minimized by the fact that the heat transfer is in the direction parallel to the interface between BN nanosheets and that a large contact area occurs between BN nanosheets.

Growth of rutile TiO₂ on the convex surface of nanocylinders: from nanoneedles to nanorods and their electrochemical properties

In this work, bundles of rutile TiO₂ nanoneedles/nanorods are hydrothermally grown on carbon nanofibers (CNFs), forming free-standing mats consisting of three dimensional hierarchical nanostructures (TiO₂-on-CNFs). Morphologies and structures of the TiO₂-on-CNFs are studied using a field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). Their electrochemical properties as electrodes in lithium ion batteries (LIBs) are investigated and correlated with the morphologies and structures. It is shown that the lateral size of the TiO₂ nanoneedles/nanorods ranges from a few nanometers to tens of nanometers, and increases with the hydrothermal temperature. Small interspaces are observed between individual nanoneedles/nanorods, which are due to the diverging arrangement of nanoneedles/nanorods induced by growing on the convex surface of nanocylinders. It is found that the growth process can be divided into two stages: initial growth on the CNF surface and further growth upon re-nucleation on the TiO₂ bundles formed in the initial growth stage. In order to achieve good electrochemical performance in LIBs, the size of the TiO₂ nanostructures needs to be small enough to ensure complete alloying and fast charge transport, while the further growth stage has to be avoided to realize direct attachment of TiO₂ nanostructures on the CNFs, facilitating electron transport. The sample obtained after hydrothermal treatment at 130 °C for 2 h (TiO₂-130-2) shows the above features and hence exhibits the best cyclability and rate capacity among all samples; the cyclability and rate capacity of TiO₂-130-2 are also superior to those of other rutile TiO₂-based LIB electrodes.

Insulating to metallic transition of an oxidized boron nitride nanosheet coating by tuning surface oxygen adsorption

Surface modification and functionalization are of fundamental importance in actual application of insulating coating, such as hexagon boron nitride (h-BN) nanosheet. Our first-principles calculations reveal that an oxidized h-BN monolayer supported by a Cu substrate exhibits metallic properties when O adatom vertically bonds with the B atom. This is mainly due to the hybridization of the p orbital of the BN layer and O adatom around the Fermi level. Charge transfer from the Cu substrate to the O atom stabilizes the formation of the vertical O-B bond. Injecting negative charges could trigger the migration of the O adatom from the B-N bond to B atom for metal or insulator-supported h-BN monolayer, which will lead to a metallic transition in the oxidized h-BN nanosheet. Our results provide a viable way to tune the electronic properties of surface h-BN coating through charge injection mediated O adsorption.

Intrinsic negative differential resistance characteristics in zigzag boron nitride nanoribbons

Zigzag boron nitride nanoribbon (ZBNNR) based devices exhibit intrinsic negative differential resistance (NDR) characteristics.

Electrocatalytic activity of various types of h-BN for the oxygen reduction reaction

Enhancement of oxygen reduction reaction activity of a Au electrode by modification with various types of BN nanostructure.

The rapid synthesis of photocatalytic (BiO)2CO3 single-crystal nanosheets via an eco-friendly approach

(BiO)₂CO₃ single-crystal nanosheets with an efficient and durable photocatalytic performance were fabricated using CO₂ as feed stock within a short time of 30 min.

The art of the possible: computational design of the 1D and 2D materials based on the tetraoxa[8]circulene monomer

Single-wall nanotube based on tetraoxa[8]circulene monomer.

Line defects and induced doping effects in graphene, hexagonal boron nitride and hybrid BNC

Effects on the atomic structure and electronic properties of two-dimensional graphene (G) and h-BN sheets related to the coexistence of dopants and defects are investigated by using density functional theory based methods.

Hydrodynamics-assisted scalable production of boron nitride nanosheets and their application in improving oxygen-atom erosion resistance of polymeric composites

Searching for a method for low-cost, easily manageable, and scalable production of boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) and exploring their novel applications are highly important. For the first time we demonstrate that a novel and effective hydrodynamics method, which involves multiple exfoliation mechanisms and thus leads to much higher yield and efficiency, can realize large-scale production of BNNSs. The exfoliation mechanisms that multiple fluid dynamics events contribute towards normal and lateral exfoliation processes could be applied to other layered materials. Up to ~95% of the prepared BNNSs are less than 3.5 nm thick with a monolayer fraction of ~37%. Compared to the conventional sonication and ball milling-based methods, the hydrodynamics method has the advantages of possessing multiple efficient ways for exfoliating BN, being low-cost and environmentally-friendly, producing high quality BNNSs in high yield and efficiency, and achieving concentrated BNNSs dispersions even in mediocre solvents. It is also shown for the first time that BNNSs can be utilized as fillers to improve the oxygen-atom erosion resistance of epoxy composites which are widely used for spacecraft in low earth orbit (LEO) where atom oxygen abounds. An addition of only 0.5 wt% BNNSs can result in a 70% decrease in the mass loss of epoxy composites after atom oxygen exposure equivalent to 160 days in an orbit of ~300 km. Overall, the demonstrated hydrodynamics method shows great potential in large-scale production of BNNSs in industry in terms of yield, efficiency, and environmental friendliness; and the innovative application of BNNSs to enhancing oxygen-atom erosion resistance of polymeric composites in space may provide a novel route for designing light spacecraft in LEO.

Graphene analogues of inorganic layered materials

The discovery of graphene has created a great sensation in chemistry, physics, materials science, and related areas. The unusual properties of graphene have aroused interest in other layered materials, such as molybdenum sulfide and boron nitride. In the last few years, single- as well as few-layer as well as chalcogenides and other inorganic materials have been prepared and characterized by a variety of methods. These materials possess interesting properties, and some have potential applications. This Review provides an up-to-date account of these emerging two-dimensional nanomaterials. Not only are the synthesis and characterization covered, but also important aspects such as spectroscopic and optical properties, magnetic and electrical properties, as well as applications. Salient features of the composites formed from the layered inorganic structures with graphene and polymers are presented along with a brief description of borocarbonitrides.

Incorporation of small BN domains in graphene during CVD using methane, boric acid and nitrogen gas

Chemical doping of graphene with small boron nitride (BN) domains has been shown to be an effective way of permanently modulating the electronic properties in graphene. Herein we show a facile method of growing large area graphene doped with small BN domains on copper foils using a single step CVD route with methane, boric acid powder and nitrogen gas as the carbon, boron and nitrogen sources respectively. This facile and safe process avoids the use of boranes and ammonia. Optical microscopy confirmed that continuous films were grown and Raman spectroscopy confirmed changes in the electronic structure of the grown BN doped graphene. Using XPS studies we find that both B and N can be substituted into the graphene structure in the form of small BN domains to give a B-N-C system. A novel structure for the BN doped graphene is proposed.