High temperature synthesis, surface characterization, and photoluminescence property of boron carbon nitride

Abstract

The present study demonstrates the synthesis of boron carbon nitride (BCN) by molten salt method which utilizes melamine (source of carbon and nitrogen), boric acid (source of boron) and potassium chloride as the salt. The synthesis is performed at 915 °C for 4 h under N2-atmosphere. The synthesized material is further acid-treated. The physicochemical characterization data for as-synthesized and acid-treated materials confirm successful synthesis of BCN. SEM and AFM data display that synthesized BCN pre and post acid-treatment exhibit sheet-type morphology. Thermogravimetric analysis data confirm that the acid-treated material is thermally stable up to 800 °C, with only 2 % mass-loss is observed till 800 °C. Water contact angle measurement study demonstrates that acid-treatment significantly improves the surface hydrophilicity. Additionally, the low photoluminescence peak intensity of the acid-treated material indicates low electron-hole pair recombination rate. The synthesized material may be useful for the photocatalytic degradation of potentially toxic chemicals from water.