Cesium and bromine doping into hexagonal boron nitride

Abstract

Using a two-zone method, the possible formation of an intercalation compound of hexagonal boron nitride (BN) with Cs and Br2 was investigated. Only a few percent weight increase was observed by doping BN with Cs and Br2. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signal was significantly modified by Cs doping, which is attributed to the reaction between the Cs atoms and spin resonance centers (N vacancies) in BN; no change in the EPR spectra was observed with Br2 doping. However, the deep blue colored Cs-BN complex reported by Mugiya and co-workers was not obtained with the two-zone method. Though no evidence of systematic intercalation reaction in BN was observed in contrast to graphite host materials, intercalation islands induced by the introduction of Cs atoms were suggested by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations.