Sensing behavior of BN nanosheet toward nitrous oxide: A DFT study

In order to develop a sensor for the detection of toxic N2O molecules, the interaction of pristine and Al-doped BN nanosheets with an N2O molecule was investigated using density functional theory calculations. It was found that unlike the pristine sheet, the Al-doped sheet can effectively interact with the N2O molecule so that its electronic properties and conductivity are dramatically changed. We believe that replacing a B atom of the BN sheet with an Al atom may be a good strategy for improving the sensitivity of these nanosheets toward N2O, which cannot be trapped and detected by the pristine sheet. (C) 2015 Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.