Tailoring of Structural, Morphological and Optical Properties of Boron Nitride/Nickel Oxide (BN100-x/NiOx) Nanocomposites

Carrier transport and photoconductivity properties of BN50/NiO50 nanocomposite films

BN₅₀/NiO₅₀ and Au-loaded BN₅₀/NiO₅₀ nanocomposite films were separately fabricated on the glass substrates for carrier transport and photoconductivity properties. X-ray diffraction pattern of the films show the hexagonal structure of BN and presence of defect states by Nelson Riley factor analysis. Morphological images show spherical shaped particles with highly porous structure. The incorporation of NiO may hindered growth of BN layers and resulted in spherical particles. Temperature-dependent conductivity describes semiconductor transport behaviour for deposited nanocomposite films. Thermal activation conduction with low activation energy (∼0.308 eV) may be responsible for the resulting conductivity. Further, the light intensity dependent photoelectrical properties of BN₅₀/NiO₅₀ and Au-loaded BN₅₀/NiO₅₀ nanocomposites have been explored. The effect of Au nanoparticles loading on enhanced photo-conductivities (∼22% increase) than bare nanocomposite film has been elaborated by proposed mechanism. This study provided the insightful information for carrier transport and photoconductivity of BN-based nanocomposites.

Boron Nitride-Titania Mesoporous Film Heterostructures

The fabrication of optically active heterostructures in the shape of mesostructured thin films is a highly challenging task. It requires an integrated process to allow in one-step incorporating the two-dimensional materials within the mesoporous ordered host without disrupting the pore organization. Hexagonal boron nitride (BN) nanosheets have been successfully introduced into titania mesoporous films using a template-assisted sol-gel synthesis and evaporation-induced self-assembly. Two types of BN sheets have been used, with and without defects, to investigate the role of defects in heterostructure properties. It has been found that the defects increase the ultraviolet radiation A (UVA) absorbance and enhance the photocatalytic response of the film. The BN sheets are optically transparent and do not exhibit any photocatalytic property but contribute to anatase crystallization via heterogeneous nucleation.