Fabrication of particular structures of hexagonal boron nitride and boron–carbon–nitrogen layers by anisotropic etching

Anisotropic etching of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and boron–carbon–nitrogen (BCN) basal plane can be an exciting platform to develop well-defined structures with interesting properties. Here, we developed an etching process of atomically thin h-BN and BCN layers to fabricate nanoribbons (NRs) and other distinct structures by annealing in H₂ and Ar gas mixture. BCN and h-BN films are grown on Cu foil by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using solid camphor and ammonia borane as carbon, nitrogen and boron source, respectively. Formation of micron size well-defined etched holes and NRs are obtained in both h-BN and BCN layers by the post growth annealing process. The etching process of h-BN and BCN basal plane to fabricate NRs and other structures with pronounced edges can open up new possibilities in 2D hybrid materials.     

Intrinsic spin–orbit interaction in carbon nanotubes and curved nanoribbons

We present a theoretical study of spin–orbit interaction effects on single wall carbon nanotubes and curved graphene nanoribbons by means of a realistic multiorbital tight-binding model, which takes into account the full symmetry of the honeycomb lattice. Several effects relevant to spin–orbit interaction, namely, the importance of chirality, curvature, and a family-dependent anisotropic conduction and valence band splitting are identified. We show that chiral nanotubes and nanoribbons exhibit spin-split states. Curvature-induced orbital hybridization is crucial to understand the experimentally observed anisotropic spin–orbit splittings in carbon nanotubes. In fact, spin–orbit interaction is important in curved graphene nanoribbons, since the induced spin-splitting on the edge states gives rise to spin-filtered states.     

Structure of Lennard–Jones nanowires encapsulated by carbon nanotubes

Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to investigate the structures of Lennard–Jones(LJ) nanowires(NWs) encapsulated in carbon nanotubes(CNTs). We find that the structures of NWs in a small CNT only adopt multi-shell motifs, while the structures of NWs in a larger CNT tend to adopt various motifs. Among these structures, three of them have not been reported previously. The phase boundaries among these structures are obtained regarding filling fractions, as well as the interaction between NWs and CNTs.     

Stoichiometric controlling of pulsed laser deposited boron–carbon thin films

The stoichiometry of B–C thin films was controlled via pulsed laser deposition using a series of ceramic B–C targets (B/C ratio was 3.04–5.92). The effects of B/C ratio in target, laser power and substrate-to-target distance on deposition rate, microstructure, stoichiometry and chemical structure were investigated. The maximum deposition rate was obtained at laser power of 90 mJ and substrate-to-target distance of 50 mm. Boron rich B–C films were obtained and the stoichiometry in B–C thin films was controlled in the range 2.9–4.6. Carbon atoms were bonded with only sp³ hybridization when boron was rich,but with sp² and sp³ hybridizations when carbon was rich.     

Crystallographic aspects related to the high pressure–high temperature phase transformation of boron nitride

Crystallographic relations between different forms of boron nitride (BN) appearing at the high pressure–high temperature structural phase transformation have been revealed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). As starting materials, crystalline hexagonal BN (hBN) with different degrees of crystallinity, or with defects intentionally introduced, were used. Cubic BN (cBN) is formed only as a minor component, the rest consisting of different forms of sp ² bonded BN: hBN, compressed, monoclinic deformed hBN, or turbostratic BN (tBN). The small cBN crystallites (300–400?nm) contain many defects such as twins, stacking faults and nanoinclusions of other BN forms: tBN, rhombohedral BN (rBN) and wurtzite BN (wBN). The cBN phase grows epitaxially on the basal plane of hBN. The nucleation sites for cBN are revealed by HRTEM. They consist of nanoarches (sp ³ hybridized, highly curved nanostructures), frequently observed at the edges of the hBN crystallites in the starting materials. Based on HRTEM observations of specimens not fully transformed, a nucleation and growth model for cBN is proposed which is consistent with existing theoretical and experimental models.     

Gasification and removal of carbon materials and redeposited boron–carbon layers exposed in an oxygen–ozone mixture

The results from experiments on measuring the rate of gasification for carbon and boron–carbon films and carbon fiber composite (CFC) exposed in oxygen–ozone mixtures are presented. The rate of gasification is 0.4–0.6 μm h^–1 (at temperatures of 220–250°C, a pressure of 0.3 atm, and an ozone concentration of 0.6 at %) for carbon films; plane CFC samples; gaps 1 and 2 mm wide with walls of stainless steel; and gaps 1 mm wide with walls of CFC. It is 15 μm h^–1 for plane CFC at a temperature of 250°C, a pressure of 1 atm, and an ozone concentration of 10 at %. The rate of gasification for boron–carbon films is from 3 to 30 nm h^–1 for B/C ratios of 2.1 to 0.8 (at 250°C, 1 atm, and ozone concentration of 10 at %).     

Sonochemical fabrication of gold nanoparticles–boron nitride sheets nanocomposites for enzymeless hydrogen peroxide detection

A simple sonochemical route was developed for the preparation of gold nanoparticles/boron nitride sheets (AuNPs/BNS) nanocomposites without using reducing or stabilizing agents. Transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and UV–vis absorption spectra were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the nanocomposites. The experimental results showed that AuNPs with approximately 20 nm were uniformly attached onto the BNS surface. It was found that the AuNPs/BNS nanocomposites exhibited good catalytic activity for the reduction of H₂O₂. The modified electrochemical sensor showed a linear range from 0.04 to 50 mM with a detection limit of 8.3 μM at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The findings provide a low-cost approach to the production of stable aqueous dispersions of nanoparticles/BNS nanocomposites.     

Microstructural investigations of zirconium oxide—on core–shell structure of carbon nanotubes

Single-walled carbon nanotubes and multi-walled carbon nanotubes/ZrO₂ nanocomposites were obtained by isothermal hydrolyzing and chemical precipitation method for both the carbon nanotubes. The coating was taken place by dispersion of both the carbon nanotubes in ZrOCl₂·8H₂O aqueous solution. However, a highly conformal and uniform monoclinic zirconia coating was deposited on multi-walled carbon nanotubes rather than single-walled carbon nanotubes by this new and simple method. Also, it has been observed that the thickness of the individual carbon nanotube after zirconia coating was increased by isothermal hydrolyzing process rather than traditional chemical precipitation method and it has been confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy study.     

Effect of carbon nanotubes implantation on electrical properties of sisal fibre–epoxy composites

In this paper, the effects of carbon nanotubes (CNT) implantation and sisal fibre size on the electrical properties of sisal fibre-reinforced epoxy composites are reported. For this purpose, the epoxy composites reinforced with CNT-implanted sisal fibre of 5 mm and 10 mm lengths were prepared by hand moulding and samples characterized for their electrical properties, such as dielectric constant (ε′), dielectric dissipation factor (tan δ) and AC conductivity (σ_ac) at different temperatures and frequencies. It was observed that the dielectric constant increases with increase in temperature and decreases with increase in frequency from 500 Hz to 5 KHz. Interestingly, the sample having CNT-implanted sisal fibre of 5 mm length exhibited the highest value of dielectric constant than the one with length 10 mm. This is attributed to the increased surface area of sisal fibre and enhancement of the interfacial polarization. At a constant volume and a length of 5 mm of the fibres, the number of interfaces per unit volume element is high and results in a higher interfacial polarization. The interfaces decrease as the fibre length increases, and therefore, the value of ε′ decreases at 10 mm fibre length. The peak value of the dielectric constant decreases with increasing frequency. A continuous decrease in dissipation factor (tan δ) with increasing frequency for all samples was observed, while at lower temperatures, the values of tan δ remains approximately same. The AC conductivity for 5 mm length sisal epoxy composite and 10 mm length sisal fibre–epoxy composites is higher than that of pure epoxy at all the frequencies.     

Strain effect on transport properties of hexagonal boron—nitride nanoribbons

<正>The transport properties of hexagonal boron-nitride nanoribbons under the uniaxial strain are investigated by the Green's function method.We find that the transport properties of armchair boron-nitride nanoribbon strongly depend on the strain.In particular,the features of the conductance steps such as position and width are significantly changed by strain.As a strong tensile strain is exerted on the nanoribbon,the highest conductance step disappears and subsequently a dip emerges instead.The energy band structure and the local current density of armchair boron-nitride nanoribbon under strain are calculated and analysed in detail to explain these characteristics.In addition,the effect of strain on the conductance of zigzag boron-nitride nanoribbon is weaker than that of armchair boron nitride nanoribbon.     

Synthesis and electrochemical characterization of nitrogen-doped and nitrogen–phosphorus-doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Nitrogen-doped and nitrogen–phosphorus-doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes (N-MWCNTs and N–P-MWCNTs, respectively) were fabricated by chemical vapor deposition and characterized using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy in combination with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The electrochemical response of N-MWCNTs and N–P-MWCNTs towards ferrocyanide/ferricyanide was initially studied. The findings exhibit weakening of electrochemical response and sensitivity of nanotubes with phosphorus doping, and thus, within the composite films tested, those consist exclusively of N-MWCNTs exhibit the greatest electrocatalytic activity. N–P-MWCNT film was further applied for individual electrochemical analysis of ascorbic acid (AA), uric acid (UA), and dopamine (DA), and lower limits of detections of 11.6, 7.8, and 1.9 μM were estimated, respectively. The findings demonstrate that AA does not interfere with UA, but considerable interference of AA in analysis of DA was observed. Thus, the simultaneous analysis of AA, UA, and DA on N–P-MWCNTs appears to be restricted.     

Size response of an SMPS–APS system to commercial multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are representative-engineered nanomaterials with unique properties. The safe production of CNTs urgently requires reliable tools to assess inhalation exposure. In this study, on-line aerosol instruments were employed to detect the release of multi-walled CNTs (MWCNTs) in workplace environments. The size responses of aerosol instruments consisting of both a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) and an aerodynamic particle sizer (APS) were examined using five types of commercial MWCNTs. A MWCNT solution and powder were aerosolized using atomizing and shaking methods, respectively. Regardless of the phase and purity, the aerosolized MWCNTs showed consistent size distributions with both SMPS and APS. The SMPS and APS measurements revealed a dominant broad peak at approximately 200–400 nm and a distinct narrow peak at approximately 2 μm, respectively. Comparing with field application of the two aerosol instruments, the APS response could be a fingerprint of the MWCNTs in a real workplace environment. A modification of the atomizing method is recommended for the long-term inhalation toxicity studies.     

Differential conductance of armchair single-wall carbon nanotubes due to presence of electron–phonon interaction

We have theoretically investigated the first correction to conductance of armchair single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with finite length, embedded between two electrodes, due to the presence of electron–transversal phonon interaction. The perturbative scheme has been used with finite length real space nearest neighbors tight binding method. Both radial breathing and tangential modes are investigated separately. It is found that not only the conductance correction crucially depends on source-drain voltage but also it strongly depends on the length and diameter of SWCNT. So, this work opens up opportunities to control the electrical conductance of SWCNT and increases yield of micro or nanodevices based on carbon nanotube.     

Enhancement of the electrical properties of carbon nanotubes with Ar–N2 plasma treatment

Optical emission spectroscopy and Langmuir probe are used to investigate the low pressure inductively coupled Ar–N₂ plasmas as function of rf power, filling pressure and Ar content in N₂ discharge. It is observed that the active species generation, dissociation fraction and electron temperature significantly depends on discharge parameters and may be used to optimize the plasma reactor. Mixture of SWCNTs and MWCNTs are treated for different treatment time (0–120 min) at optimum discharge conditions. Changes induced in the elemental composition, surface morphology, crystallographic structure, and structural disorder in the plasma irradiated CNTs are analyzed by EDX, FTIR, SEM, XRD and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. Ar–N₂ mixture plasma treatment of CNTs lead to a significant increase in the electrical conductivity, modify the microstructure and induce structural disorder and cause a transition of crystalline phase from well crystalline to an amorphous structure.     

Importance of Darcy–Forchheimer porous medium in 3D convective flow of carbon nanotubes

This article explores Darcy–Forchheimer 3D flow of water-based carbon nanomaterial (CNTs). A bi-directional linear stretchable surface has been used to create the flow. Flow in porous space is represented by Darcy–Forchheimer expression. Heat transfer mechanism is explored through convective heating. Results for single-wall (SWCNTs) and multi-wall (MWCNTs) carbon nanotubes have been presented and compared. The reduction of partial differential system into nonlinear ordinary differential system is made through suitable variables. Optimal homotopic scheme is used for solutions development of governing flow problem. Optimal homotopic solution expressions for velocities and temperature are studied through graphs by considering various estimations of physical variables. Skin friction coefficients and local Nusselt number are analyzed through plots. Our findings show that the skin friction coefficients and local Nusselt number are enhanced for larger values of nanoparticles volume fraction.     

First-principles study of electronic and elastic properties of Stone–Wales defective zigzag carbon nanotubes

The interaction and coupling between the electrical, mechanical properties and formation energy for SW defective (10,0) carbon nanotube is studied in density functional theory. The investigated configurations include the axial and circumferential orientations for single defect as well as four distribution types for double ones. The more stable defective configurations, namely, SW-I configurations for single SW defective carbon nanotube and II–II-(2) and I–I ones for double SW defective tubes are related to high symmetry distribution of the defects. Moreover, we found that the σ^?–π^* hybridization induced by curvature effect causes the semiconductor to metal transition for double axial SW defects case. Young's modulus reduction of SW defective carbon nanotube with respect to defect-free one is less than 8%. The energy bands and Young's moduli of double SW defective tubes are mostly affected by the defect distribution and concentration but insensitive to the circumferential distance between the double defects.     

Selective spectroscopy of tunneling transitions between the Landau levels in vertical double-gate graphene–boron nitride–graphene heterostructures

The spectral and total electron densities of states in two-dimensional FeAs clusters, which simulate iron-based superconductors, have been calculated using the generalized quantum Monte Carlo algorithm within the full two-orbital model. Spectra have been reconstructed by solving the integral equation relating the Matsubara Green’s function and spectral density by the method combining the gradient descent and Monte Carlo algorithms. The calculations have been performed for clusters with dimensions up to 10 × 10 FeAs cells. The profiles of the Fermi surface for the entire Brillouin zone have been presented in the quasiparticle approximation. Data for the total density of states near the Fermi level have been obtained. The effect of the interaction parameter, size of the cluster, and temperature on the spectrum of excitations has been studied.     

Mode-locked L-band bismuth–erbium fiber laser using carbon nanotubes

A passively mode-locked, bismuth–erbium-co-doped fiber (Bi-EDF) with a pulse width of 460 fs is proposed and demonstrated. A highly doped, 180-cm Bi-EDF with an erbium concentration of 3,250 ppm/wt and an absorption rate of 133 dB/m at 1,530 nm serves as the gain medium. The cavity is 11.6 m long with an overall group velocity dispersion of +0.063 ps². The output pulses have a repetition rate, average output power, pulse energy and peak power of 11.18 MHz, 5 mW, 448 pJ and 1 kW, respectively. The system has a high beam quality and a narrow pulse width output in the L-band region.     

A density functional theory study on parameters fitting of ultra long armchair （n, n） single walled boron nitride nanotubes

Armchair(n,n) single walled boron nitride nanotubes with n = 2-17 are studied by the density functional theory at the B3LYP/3-21G(d) level combined with the periodic boundary conditions for simulating the ultra long model.The results show that the structure parameters and the formation energies bear a strong relationship to n.The fitted analytical equations are developed with correlation coefficients larger than 0.999.The energy gaps of(2,2) and(3,3) tubes are indirect gaps,and the larger tubes(n = 4-17) have direct energy gaps.Results show that the armchair boron nitride nanotubes(n = 2-17) are insulators with wide energy gaps of between 5.93 eV and 6.23 eV.