A Simple Chemical Route to Borocarbonitride Nanotubes

We have prepared borocarbonitride (BxCyNz) nanotubes of various compositions by a simple, template- and catalyst-free procedure. The procedure involves heating borocarbonitride nanosheets at a high temperature (approximate to 900 degrees C), having prepared the nanosheets by heating a mixture of boric acid and glycine at 475 degrees C. The nanotubes have been characterized by electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and other techniques. Supercapacitor performance of the nanotube with high carbon content, BC3N, is noteworthy, with a specific capacitance of 164 F/g at a current density of 1.0 A/g.