Compositional Tuning of Electrical and Optical Properties of PLD-Generated Thin Films of 2D Borocarbonitrides (BN)_1–x(C)_x

Abstract

Borocarbonitrides, (BN)1–x (C) x , provide a means of composition-tuning the bandgap of BN and graphene. (BN)1–x (C) x thin films of varied chemical compositions have been deposited on c-sapphire by pulsed laser deposition and characterized by spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. Optical and electrical properties of these films show systematic changes in the band gap and the resistivity with composition. Thus, the optical band gap of the films shows a nearly linear dependence on the composition. The study throws light on the semiconducting nature of the (BN)1–x (C) x thin films with the films exhibiting Efros-Shklovskii (ES) variable range hopping in the low-temperature regime.

Ultrathin Transparent B–C–N Layers Grown on Titanium Substrates with Excellent Electrocatalytic Activity for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

“…The B 1s core level in Ti-BCN (TiCN-BCN) presents two components, due to B-C and B-N bonds at 190.0 eV (190.1 eV) and 190.9 eV (191.0 eV) binding energy (BE), respectively [13,15,25,39,40], and a broader peak at 192.8 eV (192.3 eV) associated to multi-component coordination of B with oxygen [13,15,17,41], more intense for the Ti-BCN sample than for the TiCN-BCN one (in accord with the more intense O contamination of Ti-BCN in the survey spectra shown in Fig. S3 of the SI).…”

“…S3 of the SI). In the C 1s core-level, four main components emerge, due to the C-C bonding at 284.8 eV typical signature of sp 2 -bonded carbon, the C-N bonding at 285.5 eV (285.4 eV), and the C-B one at 283.8 eV (283.6 eV) [13,15,25,39,40]; a latter broader feature at higher BE takes into account the C-to-oxygen contamination. There is a lower BE peak (282.1 eV) in the TiCN-BCN sample, signature of Ti-C bonding [42], which is absent in the Ti-BCN sample.…”

“…There is a lower BE peak (282.1 eV) in the TiCN-BCN sample, signature of Ti-C bonding [42], which is absent in the Ti-BCN sample. The N 1s core-level is characterized by the more intense lower BE component due to N-B bonds, at 398.2 eV (398.5 eV), signature of the hexagonal planar B-N bonding for both samples, and the N-C bonding at 399.0 eV (398.9 eV) [13,15,25,39,40]. In the TiCN-BCN sample a further peak at 397.1 eV BE indicates the presence of Ti-N bonding [42].…”

Borocarbonitride Layers on Titanium Dioxide Nanoribbons for Efficient Photoelectrocatalytic Water Splitting

“…The B1s core level in TiO 2 -BCN shows three peaks due to the B–C (190.51 eV), B–N (191.41 eV) [ 15 , 16 , 21 , 32 , 33 , 34 ] and B–O (192.96 eV) bonds [ 15 , 16 , 20 , 21 , 35 ]. The C1s core level exhibit four main components due to the C–C bonding at 284.6 eV, signature of the sp2-bonded carbon, C–N bonds (285.48 eV), C–B bonds (282.65 eV), and multiple components due to different bonds of C to O [ 15 , 16 , 21 , 32 , 33 , 34 ], which are unresolved and appear as a single broad band at 286.43 eV.…”

“…The B1s core level in TiO 2 -BCN shows three peaks due to the B–C (190.51 eV), B–N (191.41 eV) [ 15 , 16 , 21 , 32 , 33 , 34 ] and B–O (192.96 eV) bonds [ 15 , 16 , 20 , 21 , 35 ]. The C1s core level exhibit four main components due to the C–C bonding at 284.6 eV, signature of the sp2-bonded carbon, C–N bonds (285.48 eV), C–B bonds (282.65 eV), and multiple components due to different bonds of C to O [ 15 , 16 , 21 , 32 , 33 , 34 ], which are unresolved and appear as a single broad band at 286.43 eV. We were not able to decompose the N1s peak in different Voigt functions, as we did with C1s and B1s peaks, since the signal of N1s is overlapped with a small signal of the Ta4p 3/2 peak, ascribed to the tantalum clips used to fix the sample to the sample holder.…”