Stable BC₂N nanostructures: Low-temperature production of segregated C/BN layered materials

Stable filaments of nanometer dimensions with overall chemical stoichiometry close to BC₂N were generated by pyrolysis of CH₃CN·BCl₃ over Co at 1000°C and, for the first time, their structures were investigated, at the nanometer level, using high spatial resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy. Concentration profiles, along and across the filaments, revealed that B, C and N are not homogeneously distributed within the nanostructures but are separated into pure C and BN domains. Interestingly, pure h-BN layers are always sandwiched between graphite-like shells. A two-stage growth process is proposed involving: (a) initial extrusion of a pure carbon filament from the catalytic particle, followed by (b) subsequent thickening of the BN and C layers precipitated from the gas phase. This pyrolytic technique provides an alternative and efficient route to segregated BN/C nanomaterials, which may prove useful as robust nanocomposites and semiconductor nanodevices with enhanced resistance towards oxidation.