Self-Assembled BN and BCN Quantum Dots Obtained from High Intensity Ultrasound Exfoliated Nanosheets

Monolayer nanosheets of h-BN and h-BCN were prepared by high intensity ultrasound in a pressurized batch reactor. Exfoliation of bulk layered materials using ultrasound is an attractive route to large-scale preparation of monolayer crystals. To evaluate the quality of exfoliation and structural properties, XRD, XPS, SAED, BET and porosity, and microscopy techniques (HRTEM, AFM) were employed. The diffuse IR and Raman spectroscopy were used to determine spectral properties. Thus, the prepared monolayer nanosheets served as a precursor for the synthesis of strong luminescent quantum dots. The BN Quantum Dots (BN-QDTs) and BCN Quantum Dots (BCN-QDTs) were characterized by AFM, photoluminescence spectroscopy and AFM particle size analysis. Our easy preparation lead to the production of very strong blue green luminescent quantum dots.