Synthesis of boron carbon nitride oxide (BCNO) from urea and boric acid

Abstract

A solid state synthesis of boron carbon nitride oxide (BCNO) material was carried out starting from urea and boric acid treated at 600°C. The X-ray diffraction pattern corresponded to amorphous BCNO with an interlayer distance of 3.49 Å. The material had a layered structure similar to that of graphite and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). Infrared spectroscopy (IR) showed bands which were similar to those typical of BN and carbon nitride. The presence of boron was also confirmed by energy dispersive spectroscopy in an amount compatible with the IR spectrum. The spectra obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) corresponded to those of a BCNO family with a considerable content of oxygen too. The optical band gap was estimated to be 3.22 eV, typical of a wide band-gap semiconductor. The particle size was very dispersed from micro to nanosize. The material dispersed in polar solvents formed stable suspensions due to the presence of hydroxyl groups.