The Fluorination of Boron-Doped Graphene for CF_(x) Cathode with Ultrahigh Energy Density

The enhancement of the fluorination degree of carbon fluorides(CF_(x))compounds is the most effective method to improve the energy densities of Li/CF_(x)batteries because the specific capacity of CF_(x)is proportional to the molar ratio of F to C atoms(F/C).In this study,B-doped graphene(BG)is prepared by using boric acid as the doping source and then the prepared BG is utilized as the starting material for the preparation of CF_(x).The B-doping enhances the F/C ratio of CF_(x)without hindering the electrochemical activity of the C–F bond.During the fluorination process,B-containing functional groups are removed from the graphene lattice.This facilitates the formation of a defect-rich graphene matrix,which not only enhances the F/C ratio due to abundant perfluorinated groups at the defective edges but also serves as the active site for extra Li+storage.The prepared CF_(x)exhibits the maximum specific capacity of 1204 mAh g^(−1),which is 39.2%higher than that of CF_(x)obtained directly from graphene oxide(without B-doping).An unprecedented energy density of 2974 Wh kg^(−1)is achieved for the asprepared CF_(x)samples,which is significantly higher than the theoretically calculated energy density of commercially available fluorinated graphite(2180 Wh kg^(−1)).Therefore,this study demonstrates a great potential of B-doping to realize the ultrahigh energy density of CF_(x)cathodes for practical applications.

One-step electrochemical in-situ Li doping and LiF coating enable ultra-stable cathode for sodium ion batteries

Despite of the higher energy density and inexpensive characteristics,commercialization of layered oxide cathodes for sodium ion batteries(SIBs)is limited due to the lack of structural stability at the high voltage.Herein,the one-step electrochemical in-situ Li doping and LiF coating are successfully achieved to obtain an advanced Na0.79Lix[Li_(0.13)Ni_(0.20)Mn_(0.67)]O_(2)@LiF(NaLi-LNM@LiF)cathode with superlattice structure.The results demonstrate that the Li^(+)doped into the alkali metal layer by electrochemical cycling act as"pillars"in the form of Li-Li dimers to stabilize the layered structure.The supplementation of Li to the superlattice structure inhibits the dissolution of transition metal ions and lattice mismatch.Furthermore,the in-situ LiF coating restrains side reactions,reduces surface cracks,and greatly improves the cycling stability.The electrochemical in-situ modification strategy significantly enhances the electrochemical performance of the half-cell.The NaLi-LNM@LiF exhibits high reversible specific capacity(170.6 m A h g^(-1)at 0.05 C),outstanding capacity retention(92.65%after 200 cycles at 0.5 C)and excellent rate performance(80 mA h g^(-1)at 7 C)in a wide voltage range of 1.5-4.5 V.This novel method of in-situ modification by electrochemical process will provide a guidance for the rational design of cathode materials for SIBs.

Designing interstitial boron-doped tunnel-type vanadium dioxide cathode for enhancing zinc ion storage capability

Chemical doping is a powerful method to intrinsically tailor the electrochemical properties of electrode materials.Here,an interstitial boron-doped tunnel-type VO_(2)(B)is constructed via a facile hydrothermal method.Various analysis techniques demonstrate that boron resides in the interstitial site of VO_(2)(B)and such interstitial doping can boost the zinc storage kinetics and structural stability of VO_(2)(B)cathode during cycling.Interestingly,we found that the boron doping level has a saturation limit peculiarity as proved by the quantitative analysis.Notably,the 2 at.%boron-doped VO_(2)(B)shows enhanced zinc ion storage performance with a high storage capacity of 281.7 mAh g^(-1) at 0.1 A g^(-1),excellent rate performance of 142.2 mAh g^(-1) at 20 A g^(-1),and long cycle stability up to 1000 cycles with the capacity retention of 133.3 mAh g^(-1) at 5 A g^(-1).Additionally,the successful preparation of the boron-doped tunneltype α-MnO_(2) further indicates that the interstitial boron doping approach is a general strategy,which supplies a new chance to design other types of functional electrode materials for multivalence batteries.

Boron-doped lamellar porous carbon supported copper catalyst for dimethyl oxalate hydrogenation

Doping heteroatoms on carbon materials could bring some special advantages for using as catalyst support.In this work, a boron doped lamellar porous carbon(B-LPC) was prepared facilely and utilized as carbonbased support to construct Cu/B-LPC catalyst for dimethyl oxalate(DMO) hydrogenation. Doping boron could make the B-LPC own more defects on surface and bigger pore size than B-free LPC, which were beneficial to disperse and anchor Cu nanoparticles. Moreover, the interaction between Cu species and B-LPC could be strengthened by the doped B, which not only stabilized the Cu nanoparticles, but also tuned the valence of Cu species to maintain more Cu^(+). Therefore, the B-doped Cu/B-LPC catalyst exhibited stronger hydrogenation ability and obtained higher alcohols selectivity than Cu/LPC, as well as high stability without decrease of DMO conversion and ethylene glycol selectivity even after 300 h of reaction at 240℃.

Effects of oxygen/nitrogen co-incorporation on regulation of growth and properties of boron-doped diamond films

Regulation with nitrogen and oxygen co-doping on growth and properties of boron doped diamond films is studied by using laughing gas as dopant. As the concentration of laughing gas(N2O/C) increases from 0 to 10%, the growth rate of diamond film decreases gradually, and the nitrogen-vacancy(NV) center luminescence intensity increases first and then weakens. The results show that oxygen in laughing gas has a strong inhibitory effect on formation of NV centers, and the inhibitory effect would be stronger as the concentration of laughing gas increases. As a result, the film growth rate and nitrogen-related compensation donor decrease, beneficial to increase the acceptor concentration(~3.2×10^(19)cm^(-3)) in the film. Moreover, it is found that the optimal regulation with the quality and electrical properties of boron doped diamond films could be realized by adding appropriate laughing gas, especially the hole mobility(~700cm^(2)/V·s), which is beneficial to the realization of high-quality boron doped diamond films and high-level optoelectronic device applications in the future.

Differential Pulse Voltammetric Simultaneous Determination of Paracetamol and Omnipaque on Boron Doped Diamond Electrode: Application to Natural Tomato, Carrot, Cucumber Juices and Wastewater

This article describes the use of a boron-doped diamond electrode (BDDE) as an electrochemical sensor for the simultaneous determination of omnipaque (OMP) and paracetamol (PCM) in perchloric acid medium (HClO4 0.1 M) and in complex matrices such as tomato, carrot and cucumber juices and waste water from the Treichville University Hospital. Voltammetric studies allowed us to have well-defined oxidation peaks at distinct potentials of OMP (E = 0.5 V/SCE) and PCM (E = 0.7 V/SCE). Under optimized conditions, well-defined quantities of OMP and PCM, introduced simultaneously by metered additions, gave linear responses in concentration ranges of 259.8 - 467.2 μM for OMP and 58.73 - 116.3 μM PCM. The detection limits obtained are 7.23 μΜ and 3.6 μΜ respectively for OMP and PCM with recovery rates between 85.8% ± 0.1% and 92.6% ± 0.1% for OMP and between 99.9% ± 0.1% and 101.2% ± 0.4% for the PCM. This technique has been successfully used to simultaneously detect these pharmaceuticals in these complex environments. It allows recovery of OMP and PCM respectively up to 97.5% ± 0.0% and 91.6% ± 0.3% in tomato juice;100.0% ± 0.0% and 95.2% ± 0.2% in carrot juice;101.4% ± 0.1% and 97.3% ± 0.3% in cucumber juice;100.1% ± 0.9% and 100.9% ± 0.1% in wastewater. The relevance of this technique for the simultaneous detection of OMP and PCM in tomato, carrot, cucumber juices and in waste water can be studied in the context of the contamination of certain fruits and vegetables by the substances organic pharmaceuticals released into the environment without prior treatment.

Structure and electrical properties of polysilicon films doped with ammonium tetraborate tetrahydrate

Here,p-type polysilicon films are fabricated by ex-situ doping method with ammonium tetraborate tetrahydrate(ATT)as the boron source,named ATT-pPoly.The effects of ATT on the properties of polysilicon films are comprehensively analyzed.The Raman spectra reveal that the ATT-pPoly film is composed of grain boundary and crystalline regions.The preferred orientation is the(111)direction.The grain size increases from 16−23 nm to 21−47 nm,by~70%on average.Comparing with other reported films,Hall measurements reveal that the ATT-pPoly film has a higher carrier concentration(>10^(20)cm^(−3))and higher carrier mobility(>30 cm2/(V·s)).The superior properties of the ATT-pPoly film are attributed to the heavy doping and improved grain size.Heavy doping property is proved by the mean sheet resistance(Rsheet,m)and distribution profile.The R_(sheet,m)decreases by more than 30%,and it can be further decreased by 90%if the annealing temperature or duration is increased.The boron concentration of ATT-pPoly film annealed at 950℃ for 45 min is~3×10^(20)cm^(−3),and the distribution is nearly the same,except near the surface.Besides,the standard deviation coefficient(σ)of Rsheet,m is less than 5.0%,which verifies the excellent uniformity of ATT-pPoly film.

First-Principles Investigation of Charge Transfer Mechanism of B-Doped 3C-SiC Semiconductor Material

This study delves into the charge transfer mechanism of boron (B)-doped 3C-SiC through first-principles investigations. We explore the effects of B doping on the electronic properties of 3C-SiC, focusing on a 12.5% impurity concentration. Our comprehensive analysis encompasses structural properties, electronic band structures, and charge density distributions. The optimized lattice constant and band gap energy of 3C-SiC were found to be 4.373 Å and 1.36 eV respectively, which is in agreement with previous research (Bui, 2012;Muchiri et al., 2018). Our results show that B doping narrows the band gap, enhances electrical conductivity, and influences charge transfer interactions. The charge density analysis reveals substantial interactions between B dopants and surrounding carbon atoms. This work not only enhances our understanding of the material’s electronic properties, but also highlights the importance of charge density analysis for characterizing charge transfer mechanisms and their implications in the 3C-SiC semiconductors.

Preparation, characterization and electrochemical properties of boron-doped diamond films on Nb substrates

A series of boron-doped polycrystalline diamond films were prepared by hot filament （HF） chemical vapor deposition on Nb substrates. The effects of B/C ratio of reaction gas on film morphology, growth rate, chemical bonding states, phase composition and electrochemical properties of each deposited sample were studied by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectra, X-ray diffraction, microhardness indentation, and electrochemical analysis. Results show that the average grain size of diamond and the growth rate decrease with increasing the B/C ratio. The diamond films exhibit excellent adhesion under Vickers microhardness testing （9.8 N load）. The sample with 2% B/C ratio has a wider potential window and a lower background current as well as a faster redox reaction rate in H2SO4 solution and KFe（CN）6 redox system compared with other doping level electrodes.

Electronic properties of graphene nanoribbon doped by boron/nitrogen pair:a first-principles study

By using the first-principles calculations, the electronic properties of graphene nanoribbon （GNR） doped by boron/nitrogen （B/N） bonded pair are investigated. It is found that B/N bonded pair tends to be doped at the edges of GNR and B/N pair doping in GNR is easier to carry out than single B doping and unbonded B/N co-doping in GNR. The electronic structure of GNR doped by B/N pair is very sensitive to doping site besides the ribbon width and chirality. Moreover, B/N pair doping can selectively adjust the energy gap of armchair GNR and can induce the semimetal-semiconductor transmission for zigzag GNR. This fact may lead to a possible method for energy band engineering of GNRs and benefit the design of graphene electronic device.

A high-performance biochar produced from bamboo pyrolysis with in-situ nitrogen doping and activation for adsorption of phenol and methylene blue

Nitrogen doping is a promising method for the preparation of functional carbon materials.In this study,a nitrogen-doped porous coral biochar was prepared by using bamboo as raw material,urea as nitrogen source,and KHCO3 as green activator through in-situ pyrolysis.The structure of the obtained biochar was characterized by various techniques including nitrogen adsorption and desorption,Raman spectroscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectrometer,and etc.The adsorption properties of nitrogen-doped biochar were evaluated with phenol and methylene blue probes.The results showed that the nitrogen source ratio had a significant effect on the evolution of pore structure of biochar.Low urea addition ratio was beneficial to the development of pore structures.The optimum specific surface area of nitrogen-doped biochar could be up to 1693 m^2·g^-1.Nitrogen doping can effectively improve the adsorption capacity of biochar to phenol and methylene blue.Biochar prepared at 973.15 K with low urea addition ratio exhibited the highest adsorption capacity for phenol and methylene blue,and the equilibrium adsorption capacity was 169.0 mg·g^-1 and 499.3 mg·g^-1,respectively.By comparing the adsorption capacity of various adsorbents in related fields,it is proved that the nitrogen-doped biochar prepared in this study has a good adsorption effect.

Effect of deposition temperature on properties of boron-doped diamond films on tungsten carbide substrate

Boron-doped diamond(BDD)films were deposited on the tungsten carbide substrates at different substrate temperatures ranging from 450 to 850°C by hot filament chemical vapor deposition(HFCVD)method.The effect of deposition temperature on the properties of the boron-doped diamond films on tungsten carbide substrate was investigated.It is found that boron doping obviously enhances the growth rate of diamond films.A relatively high growth rate of 544 nm/h was obtained for the BDD film deposited on the tungsten carbide at 650°C.The added boron-containing precursor gas apparently reduced activation energy of film growth to be 53.1 kJ/mol,thus accelerated the rate of deposition chemical reaction.Moreover,Raman and XRD analysis showed that heavy boron doping(750 and 850°C)deteriorated the diamond crystallinity and produced a high defect density in the BDD films.Overall,600-700°C is found to be an optimum substrate temperature range for depositing BDD films on tungsten carbide substrate.

Calcium-Doped Boron Nitride Aerogel Enables Infrared Stealth at High Temperature Up to 1300℃

Boron nitride(BN)aerogels,composed of nanoscale BN building units together with plenty of air in between these nanoscale building units,are ultralight ceramic materials with excellent thermal/electrical insulation,great chemical stability and high-temperature oxidation resistance,which offer considerable advantages for various applications under extreme conditions.However,previous BN aerogels cannot resist high temperature above 900℃ in air atmosphere,and hightemperature oxidation resistance enhancement for BN aerogels is still a great challenge.Herein,a calcium-doped BN(Ca-BN)aerogel with enhanced high-temperature stability(up to~1300℃ in air)was synthesized by introducing Ca atoms into crystal structure of BN building blocks via high-temperature reaction between calcium phosphate and melamine diborate architecture.Such Ca-BN aerogels could resist the burning of butane flame(~1300℃)and keep their megashape and microstructure very well.Furthermore,Ca-BN aerogel serves as thermal insulation layer,together with Al foil serving as both low-infrared-emission layer and high-infrared-reflection layer,forming a combination structure that can effectively hide high-temperature target(heated by butane flame).Such successful chemical doping of metal element into crystal structure of BN may be helpful in the future design and fabrication of advanced BN aerogel materials,and further extending their possible applications to extremely high-temperature environments.

Energy consumption of electrooxidation systems with boron-doped diamond electrodes in the pulse current mode

A pulse current technique was conducted in a boron-doped diamond （BDD） anode system for electrochemical waste- water treatment. Due to the strong generation and weak absorption of hydroxyl radicals on the diamond surface, the BDD elec- trode possesses a powerful capability of electrochemical oxidation of organic compounds, especially in the pulse current mode. The influences of pulse current parameters such as current density, pulse duty cycle, and frequency were investigated in terms of chemical oxygen demand （COD） removal, average current efficiency, and specific energy consumption. The results demon- strated that the relatively high COD removal and low specific energy consumption were obtained simultaneously only if the current density or pulse duty cycle was adjusted to a reasonable value. Increasing the frequency slightly enhanced the COD re- moval and average current efficiency. A pulse-BDD anode system showed a stronger energy saving ability than a constant-BDD anode system when the electrochemical oxidation of phenol of the two systems was compared. The results prove that the pulse current technique is more cost-effective and more suitable for a BDD anode system for real wastewater treatment. A kinetic analysis was presented to explain the above results.

Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of Boron-doped Titania Nano-materials

Antibacterial activity of boron-doped TiO2(B/TiO2) nano-materials under visible light irradiation and in the dark was investigated. A simple sol-gel method was used to synthesize TiO2 nano-materials. X-ray diffraction pattern of B/TiO2 nano-materials represents the diffraction peaks relating to the crystal planes of TiO2(anatase and rutile). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy result shows that part of boron ions incorporates into TiO2 lattice to form a possible chemical environment like Ti O B and the rest exist in the form of B2O3. The study on antibacterial effect of B/TiO2 nano-materials on fungal Candida albicans(ATCC10231), Gram-negative Escherichia coli(ATCC25922) and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus(ATCC6538) shows that the antibacterial action is more significant on Candida albicans than on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Under visible light irradiation, the antibacterial activity is superior to that in the dark.

Synthesis of N-type semiconductor diamonds with sulfur,boron co-doping in FeNiMnCo-C system at high pressure and high temperature

A series of diamonds with boron and sulfur co-doping were synthesized in the Fe Ni Mn Co-C system by temperature gradient growth（TGG） under high pressure and high temperature（HPHT）. Because of differences in additives, the resulting diamond crystals were colorless, blue-black, or yellow. Their morphologies were slab, tower, or minaret-like. Analysis of the x-ray photoelectron spectra（XPS） of these diamonds shows the presence of B, S, and N in samples from which N was not eliminated. But only the B dopant was assuredly incorporated in the samples from which N was eliminated. Resistivity and Hall mobility were 8.510 Ω·cm and 760.870 cm^2/V·s, respectively, for a P-type diamond sample from which nitrogen was eliminated. Correspondingly, resistivity and Hall mobility were 4.211×10^5 Ω·cm and 76.300 cmΩ2/V·s for an N-type diamond sample from which nitrogen was not eliminated. Large N-type diamonds of type Ib with B–S doping were acquired.

Effect of nitrogen on deposition and field emission properties of boron-doped micro-and nano-crystalline diamond films

In this paper,we report the effect of nitrogen on the deposition and properties of boron doped diamond films synthesized by hot filament chemical vapor deposition.The diamond films consisting of micro-grains(nano-grains) were realized with low(high) boron source flow rate during the growth processes.The transition of micro-grains to nano-grains is speculated to be strongly(weekly) related with the boron(nitrogen) flow rate.The grain size and Raman spectral feature vary insignificantly as a function of the nitrogen introduction at a certain boron flow rate.The variation of electron field emission characteristics dependent on nitrogen is different between microcrystalline and nanocrystalline boron doped diamond samples,which are related to the combined phase composition,boron doping level and texture structure.There is an optimum nitrogen proportion to improve the field emission properties of the boron-doped films.

Electrochemical incineration of dimethyl phthalate by anodic oxidation with boron-doped diamond electrode

The anodic oxidation of aqueous solutions containing dimethyl phthalate （DMP） up to 125 mg/L with sodium sulfate （Na2SO4） as supporting electrolyte within the pH range 2.0-10.0 was studied using a one-compartment batch reactor employing a boron-doped diamond （BDD） as anode. Electrolyses were carded out at constant current density （1.5-4.5 mA/cm^2）. Complete mineralization was always achieved owing to the great concentration of hydroxyl radical （-OH） generated at the BDD surface. The effects of pH, apparent current density and initial DMP concentration on the degradation rate of DMP, the specific charge required for its total mineralization and mineralization current efficiency were investigated systematically. The mineralization rate of DMP was found to be pH-independent and to increase with increasing applied current density. Results indicated that this electrochemical process was subjected, at least partially, to the mass transfer of organics onto the BDD surface. Kinetic analysis of the temporal change of DMP concentration during electrolysis determined by High Performance Liquid Chromatography （HPLC） revealed that DMP decay under all tested conditions followed a pseudo first-order reaction. Aromatic intermediates and generated carboxylic acids were identified by Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry （GC-MS） and a general pathway for the electrochemical incineration of DMP on BDD was proposed.

Synthesis of boron, nitrogen co-doped porous carbon from asphaltene for high-performance supercapacitors

Oxidized asphaltene （OA）, a thermosetting material with plenty of functional groups, is synthesized from asphaltene （A） using HNO3]HzSO4 as the oxidizing agent. Boron, nitrogen co-doped porous carbon （BNC-OA） is prepared by carbonization of the mixture of boric acid and OA at 1173 K in an argon atmosphere. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） characterization reveals that the BNC-OA has a nitrogen content of 3.26 at.% and a boron content of 1.31 at.%, while its oxidation-free counterpart （BNC-SA） has a nitrogen content of 1.61 at.% and a boron content of 3.02 at.%. The specific surface area and total pore volume of BNC-OA are 1103 m2·g^-1 and 0.921 cm3·g^-1, respectively. At a current density of 0.1 A·g^-1, the specific capacitance of BNC-OA is 335 F·g^-1 and the capacitance retention can still reach 83% at 1 A·g^-1. The analysis shows that the superior electrochemical performance of the BNC-OA is attributed to the pseudocapacitance behavior of surface heteroatom functional groups and an abundant pore-structure. Boron, nitrogen co-doped porous carbon is a promising electrode material for supercapacitors.

Synthesis and characterization of p-type boron-doped IIb diamond large single crystals

High-quality p-type boron-doped IIb diamond large single crystals are successfully synthesized by the temperature gradient method in a china-type cubic anvil high-pressure apparatus at about 5.5 GPa and 1600 K. The morphologies and surface textures of the synthetic diamond crystals with different boron additive quantities are characterized by using an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope respectively. The impurities of nitrogen and boron in diamonds are detected by micro Fourier transform infrared technique. The electrical properties including resistivities, Hall coefficients, Hall mobilities and carrier densities of the synthesized samples are measured by a four-point probe and the Hall effect method. The results show that large p-type boron-doped diamond single crystals with few nitrogen impurities have been synthesized. With the increase of quantity of additive boron, some high-index crystal faces such as {113} gradually disappear, and some stripes and triangle pits occur on the crystal surface. This work is helpful for the further research and application of boron-doped semiconductor diamond.