Synthesis of a novel B₃CN₃ compound by pyrolysis of precursor

An organic precursor was synthesized with C₃N₆H ₆ and H₃BO₃ as raw materials in aqueous solution. A novel amorphous BCN compound was obtained by thermolysis of the precursor at 1900°C in flowing N₂ atmosphere. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the precursor is a supramolecular compound with a formula C₃N₆H₆(H ₃BO₃)₂. The pyrolysis product was characterized by XRD, XPS, FTIR, and SEM. XRD results reveal that the pyrolysis product has a turbostratic graphite structure. XPS analysis confirms the formation of nitrogen-rich BCN ternary compound with an approximate composition of B ₃CN₃. Both the deconvoluted XPS spectra and FTIR spectrum indicate that B-N, B-C, and C-N chemical bonds have been established and there is no phase separation of graphite and h-BN occurred, which suggests an atomic-level hybrid of B, C, and N in the compound. SEM images show that the crystal shape of the B₃CN₃ compound is columnar, which is similar to the precursor.