Title:Boron Carbon Nitride (BCN) Nanomaterials: Structures, Synthesis and Energy Applications
VOLUME: 2 ISSUE: 1
Author(s):Jiemin Wang, Cheng Chen, Chen Yang, Ye Fan, Dan Liu* and Weiwei Lei*
Affiliation:Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road Waurn Ponds 3216, VIC, Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road Waurn Ponds 3216, VIC, Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road Waurn Ponds 3216, VIC, Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road Waurn Ponds 3216, VIC, Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road Waurn Ponds 3216, VIC, Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road Waurn Ponds 3216, VIC
Keywords:BCN nanomaterials, energy applications, electronegativity, ORR, supercapacitors, structure properties.
Abstract:Background: To tackle the issue of deteriorative carbon emission and develop renewable
and clean energy, novel materials instead of traditional industrial products are highly demanded. During
the past decades, a large amount of non-metal nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs),
graphene, and boron (carbon) nitride have been employed as promising candidates. Among them, boron
nitride (BN) and its derivative, boron carbon nitride (BCN) nanomaterial has proven to be prominent
in the fields of waste water cleaning, hydrogen storage, energy conversion and storage. Analogs
to but different from either carbon allotropes or BN, BCN nanomaterial is found between insulator and
semiconductor with tunable electronic structure (band gaps: 0-5 eV) and the ternary BxCyNz system
with different bonding configurations could be further tailored by adjusting the elemental compositions.
In addition, the B, N co-doping provides polarization in the carbon network owing to the electronegativity
diversity of B (2.05), N (3.04) and C (2.55), thus regulating the magnetic, optic, and
electrochemical properties of BCN. Recently, two dimensional (2D) BCN nanosheets have placed
values on lithium-ion batteries, oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), hydrogen evolutions (HER) and supercapacitors,
which rival those of other 2D nanomaterials. Therefore, it is of great importance to introduce
the synthesis and broaden the prospective versatility of BCN material in the energy applications.
Conclusion: Hence this review aims to introduce the structure properties, synthesis and energy applications
of BCN nanomaterials.
