Two-dimensional hexagonal boron-carbon-nitrogen atomic layers

Nanohybrids of BCN-Fe1-xS for Sodium and Lithium Hybrid Ion Capacitors

Hybrid ion capacitors (HIC) are receiving a lot of attention due to their potential to achieve high energy and power densities, but they remain insufficient. It is imperative to explore outstanding and environmentally benign electrode materials to achieve high-performing HIC systems. Here, a unique boron carbon nitride (BCN)-based HIC system that comprises a microporous BCN structure and Fe1-xS nanoparticle incorporated BCN nanosheets (BNF) as cathode and anode, respectively is reported. The BNF is prepared through a facile one-pot calcination process using dithiooxamide (DTO), boric acid, and iron source. In situ, crystal growth of Fe1-xS facilitates the formation of BCN structure through the creation of holes/defects in the polymeric structure. The first principle density functional (DFT) theory simulations demonstrate the structural and electronic properties of the hybrid of BCN and Fe1-xS as compelling anode materials for HIC applications. The DFT calculations reveal that both BCN and BNF structures have excellent metallic characters with Li+ storage capacities of 128.4 and 1021.38 mAh g-1 respectively. These findings are confirmed experimentally where the BCN-based HIC system delivers exceptional energy and power densities of 267.5 Wh kg-1/749.5 W kg-1 toward Li+ storage, which outweighs previous HIC performances and demonstrates favorable performance for Li+ and Na+ storages.

Optical and electronic properties of BCN films deposited by magnetron sputtering

Boron carbonitride (BCN) films containing hybridized bonds involving B, C, and N over wide compositional ranges enable an abundant variety of new materials, properties, and applications; however, their electronic performance is still limited by the presence of structural and electronic defects, yielding sluggish mobility and electrical conductivity. This work reports on mechanically stable BCN films and their corresponding optical and electronic properties. The ternary BCN films consisting of hybridized B-C-N bonds have been achieved by varying N2 flow by the radio frequency magnetron sputtering method. The BCN films show a bandgap value ranging from 3.32 to 3.82 eV. Hall effect measurements reveal an n-type conductivity with an improved hall mobility of 226 cm2/V s at room temperature for the optimal film. The n-BCN/p-Si heterojunctions exhibit a nonlinear rectifying characteristic, where the tunneling behavior dominates the injection regimes due to the density of defects, i.e., structural disorder and impurities. Our work demonstrates the tunable electrical properties of BCN/Si p-n diodes and, thus, is beneficial for the potential application in the fields of optics, optoelectronics, and electrics.

Stacking engineering in layered homostructures: transitioning from 2D to 3D architectures

Artificial materials, characterized by their distinctive properties and customized functionalities, occupy a central role in a wide range of applications including electronics, spintronics, optoelectronics, catalysis, and energy storage. The emergence of atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) materials has driven the creation of artificial heterostructures, harnessing the potential of combining various 2D building blocks with complementary properties through the art of stacking engineering. The promising outcomes achieved for heterostructures have spurred an inquisitive exploration of homostructures, where identical 2D layers are precisely stacked. This perspective primarily focuses on the field of stacking engineering within layered homostructures, where precise control over translational or rotational degrees of freedom between vertically stacked planes or layers is paramount. In particular, we provide an overview of recent advancements in the stacking engineering applied to 2D homostructures. Additionally, we will shed light on research endeavors venturing into three-dimensional (3D) structures, which allow us to proactively address the limitations associated with artificial 2D homostructures. We anticipate that the breakthroughs in stacking engineering in 3D materials will provide valuable insights into the mechanisms governing stacking effects. Such advancements have the potential to unlock the full capability of artificial layered homostructures, propelling the future development of materials, physics, and device applications.

In-Situ Catalytic Preparation of Two-Dimensional BCN/Graphene Composite for Anti-Corrosion Application

In-situ catalytic growth of two-dimensional materials shows great potential for metal surface protection because of the impermeability and strong interaction of the materials with metal surfaces. Two-dimensional hexagonal boron-carbon nitrogen (h-BCN) is composed of alternating boron, carbon, and nitrogen atoms in a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice, which is similar to graphene. The corrosion caused by defects such as grain boundary of two-dimensional materials can be weakened by dislocation overlap via the transfer method. However, two-dimensional composite films prepared using the transfer method have problems, such as the introduction of impurities and poor adhesion, which limit their corrosion resistance. In this study, a layer of BCN/Gr two-dimensional composite was directly grown on the surface of copper foil using the CVD in-situ catalysis method, and its anti-corrosion performance was characterized by electrochemical and salt spray experiments. The results showed that the directly grown two-dimensional composite had better adhesion to the substrate and the advantage of grain boundary dislocation, thus showing a better anti-corrosion capability.

The Winner Takes It All: Carbon Supersedes Hexagonal Boron Nitride with Graphene on Transition Metals at High Temperatures

The production of high-quality hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is essential for the ultimate performance of 2D materials-based devices, since it is the key 2D encapsulation material. Here, a decisive guideline is reported for fabricating high-quality h-BN on transition metals. It is crucial to exclude carbon from the h-BN related process, otherwise carbon prevails over boron and nitrogen due to its larger binding energy, thereupon forming graphene on metals after high-temperature annealing. The surface reaction-assisted conversion from h-BN to graphene with high-temperature treatments is demonstrated. The pyrolysis temperature T_p is an important quality indicator for h-BN/metals. When the temperature is lower than T_p , the quality of the h-BN layer is improved upon annealing. While the annealing temperature is above T_p , in case of carbon-free conditions, the h-BN disintegrates and nitrogen desorbs from the surface more easily than boron, eventually leading to clean metal surfaces. However, once the h-BN layer is exposed to carbon, graphene forms on Pt(111) in the high-temperature regime. This not only provides an indispensable principle (avoid carbon) for fabricating high-quality h-BN materials on transition metals, but also offers a straightforward method for the surface reaction-assisted conversion from h-BN to graphene on Pt(111).

In-situ synthesis of non-phase-separated boron carbon nitride for photocatalytic reduction of CO2

Non-phase-separated hexagonal boron carbon nitride (h-BCN) is an emerging type of promising metal-free photocatalyst, but the synthesis of this material remains quite challenging. Here, h-BCN without phase separation was obtained through a novel organic-inorganic hybrid precursor pyrolysis method using boric acid and ethylenediamine as raw materials. The resultant BCN-1 exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for CO₂ reduction, as confirmed by a CO generation rate of 13.97 μmol g^-1 h^-1 under visible light illumination with no co-catalyst or sacrificial agent. This rate was 9.4 times higher than that of g-C₃N₄ (2.1 μmol g^-1 h^-1) under the same experimental condition. The pre-existing C-N-B bond is essential for mediating the growth kinetics and diminishing the thermodynamically preferred C and BN phase-segregation structure, while ammonia is crucial for C-N-B bond fixation and pore formation during the pyrolysis process. This finding of a facile method for synthesizing non-phase-separated BCN has positive effects on the study of photocatalytic CO₂ reduction by sustainable metal-free catalysts.

Mechanical and electronic properties of boron nitride nanosheets with graphene domains under strain

Hybrid structures comprised of graphene domains embedded in larger hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanosheets were first synthesized in 2013. However, the existing theoretical investigations on them have only considered relaxed structures. In this work, we use Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the mechanical and electronic properties of this type of nanosheet under strain. Our results reveal that the Young's modulus of the hybrid sheets depends only on the relative concentration of graphene and h-BN in the structure, showing little dependence on the shape of the domain or the size of the structure for a given concentration. Regarding the tensile strength, we obtained higher values using triangular graphene domains. We find that the studied systems can withstand large strain values (between 15% and 22%) before fracture, which always begins at the weaker C-B bonds located at the interface between the two materials. Concerning the electronic properties, we find that by combining composition and strain, we can produce hybrid sheets with band gaps spanning an extensive range of values (between 1.0 eV and 3.5 eV). Our results also show that the band gap depends more on the composition than on the external strain, particularly for structures with low carbon concentration. The combination of atomic-scale thickness, high ultimate strain, and adjustable band gap suggests applications of h-BN nanosheets with graphene domains in wearable electronics.

Deep Ultraviolet Photodetectors Based on Carbon-Doped Two-Dimensional Hexagonal Boron Nitride

Recently, the deep ultraviolet (DUV) photodetectors fabricated from two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) layers have emerged as a hot research topic. However, the existing studies show that the h-BN-based photodetectors have relatively poor performance. In this work, C doping is utilized to modulate the properties of h-BN and improve the performance of the h-BN-based photodetectors. We synthesized the h-BN atomic layers with various C concentrations varying from 0 to 10.2 atom % by ion beam sputtering deposition through controlling the sputtering atmosphere. The h-BN phase remains stable when a small amount of C is incorporated into h-BN, whereas the introduction of a large amount of C impurities leads to the rapidly deteriorated crystallinity of h-BN. Furthermore, the DUV photodetectors based on C-doped h-BN layers were fabricated, and the h-BN-based photodetector with 7.5 atom % C exhibits the best performance with a responsivity of 9.2 mA·W^-1, which is significantly higher than that of the intrinsic h-BN device. This work demonstrates that the C doping is a feasible and effective method for improving the performance of h-BN photodetectors.

A new planar BCN lateral heterostructure with outstanding strength and defect-mediated superior semiconducting to metallic properties

Outstanding strength and defect-mediated superior semiconducting to conducting properties of a planar BCN lateral heterostructure.