BN-Doped Carbon Nanotubes and Nanoribbons as Nonlinear-Optical Functional Materials for Application in Second-Order Nonlinear Optics

Pure carbon-based nanomaterials with good pi conjugation and thermal stability, e.g., nanotubes and nanoribbons, have long served as promising conjugated materials for application in second-order nonlinear-optical (NLO) devices but suffer from two inherent structural problems: weak polarity (or even nonpolarity) and high chemical reactivity ascribed to zigzag edge states. In the present work, boron nitride (BN) chains are used to divide carbon nanotubes and nanoribbons, forming a functional block to tune the electronic structure, and thus induce charge redistribution or modify the molecular energy gap for second-order NLO materials or integrated electronic materials. A balance between the electronic kinetic stability and second-order NLO properties is established by structural manipulation. The strong second-order NLO responses in the visible and near-infrared regions make these hybridized carbon-based molecules potential NLO materials for applications in biological nonlinear optics. The application of BN to tune the electronic structure of carbon nanomaterials paves a path for fabricating nanoelectronic and nano-NLO devices.

Automated summary

In this study, boron nitride (BN) chains are used to modify the electronic structure of carbon nanomaterials for applications in second-order nonlinear-optical (NLO) and integrated electronic devices. The balance between electronic kinetic stability and second-order NLO properties is achieved through structural manipulation. These hybridized carbon-based molecules show strong second-order NLO responses in the visible and near-infrared regions, making them potential NLO materials for biological nonlinear optics applications. The use of BN to tune the electronic structure of carbon nanomaterials paves the way for fabricating nanoelectronic and nano-NLO devices.