Issue 21, 2019

Two-dimensional hexagonal boron–carbon–nitrogen atomic layers

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal boron–carbon–nitrogen (h-BCN) atomic layers are expected to possess interesting properties complementary to those of graphene and h-BN, enabling a rich variety of electronic structures, properties and applications. Herein, we demonstrate a novel method to synthesize 2D h-BCN atomic layers with a full range of compositions by ion beam sputtering deposition under a mixed Ar/CH4 atmosphere. The h-BCN layers have been thoroughly characterized by various techniques, aiming at the determination of their structure evolution and properties. We find that homogeneous h-BCN layers consisting of graphene and h-BN nanodomains can be obtained at an appropriate C content, whereas too high or too low C contents result in the segregation of large-sized graphene or h-BN islands. Furthermore, the band gap of h-BCN layers slightly decreases with the increasing C content, while their electric properties can be tuned from insulating to highly conducting. This work provides a novel approach for synthesizing 2D h-BCN atomic layers and paves the way for the development of h-BCN-based devices.

Graphical abstract: Two-dimensional hexagonal boron–carbon–nitrogen atomic layers

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
23 Jan 2019
Accepted
24 Apr 2019
First published
25 Apr 2019

Nanoscale, 2019,11, 10454-10462

Two-dimensional hexagonal boron–carbon–nitrogen atomic layers

L. Cheng, J. Meng, X. Pan, Y. Lu, X. Zhang, M. Gao, Z. Yin, D. Wang, Y. Wang, J. You, J. Zhang and E. Xie, Nanoscale, 2019, 11, 10454 DOI: 10.1039/C9NR00712A

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