Recent Advances in Boron‐ and Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon‐Based Materials and Their Various Applications

Abstract

Carbon, owing to its unique properties such as surface area, pore features, conductivity, and chemical and thermal stability, has found several applications in the field of sensors, energy storage, electrocatalysis, and hydrogen storage. However, the properties of pristine carbon are sometimes insufficient to meet the requirements of a particular application. Heteroatom co‐doping may not only enhance the surface area, improve the porosity, and enhance the redox activity, but it also increases stability. B, N heteroatom co‐doping has gained popularity as it is found to be an effective way to enhance the properties of porous carbon by influencing the physicochemical, electrochemical, and electrical properties, thereby widening its applications. In this review, the rational synthetic strategies that are used to produce B, N co‐doped carbon are described. Further, the charge conduction in such B, N co‐doped carbon‐based materials (including metal and metal‐free) is discussed in detail. Certain remarkable works representing the various applications of B, N co‐doped carbon in the area of electrocatalysis, energy storage (rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors), and sensors are also highlighted. Finally, the review ends with a discussion of the existing challenges and possible future directions of research on B, N co‐doped carbon.

Co‐doping Graphene with B and N Heteroatoms for Application in Energy Conversion and Storage Devices

“…batteries. [29] Moreover, strong π-π and van der Waals attractions between the graphene layers leads to irreversible agglomeration, resulting in the formation of graphite. The agglomeration ultimately decreases the specific surface area and finally hinders the diffusion of the electrolyte.…”

“…Additionally, ball milling provides a unique route for doping graphene with heteroatoms. [29,38,60,61] This is achieved by an edge selective functionalization mechanism. During the ball milling doping process, freshly produced active carbon species in the form of carbo-radicals, carbo-cations, and/or carbo-anions, formed at the edges of the graphene flakes facilitate the reaction of graphene with the heteroatom dopants.…”

“…However, contrary to its fascinating properties, pristine graphene has been found to be unsuitable for applications in electrochemical energy conversion and in storage devices [25–28] . Specifically, the high specific surface area of graphene leads to unnecessary side reactions on the electrode surfaces, thereby leading to the deterioration of the electrolyte, and consequently the compromised performance of devices such as fuel cells or lithium ion batteries [29] . Moreover, strong π‐π and van der Waals attractions between the graphene layers leads to irreversible agglomeration, resulting in the formation of graphite.…”

“…The ball milling processes provide another effective route for the mass production of graphene nanosheets at low cost through the delamination of bulk graphite as well as the cracking of the C−C bonds in organic compounds. Additionally, ball milling provides a unique route for doping graphene with heteroatoms [29,38,60,61] . This is achieved by an edge selective functionalization mechanism.…”

Chemical vapor deposited graphene-based quasi-solid-state ultrathin and flexible sodium-ion supercapacitor

“…based materials (graphene, carbon nanotube, activated carbon, carbon fibres, 3D carbon aerogel, etc.) play a crucial role in electrochemical energy storage credited to their exceptional properties such as a large specific surface area for electrochemical double layer capacitance, optimisable structures, adjustable compositions/components and tunable physiochemical properties [13]. Graphene is a two-dimensional monolayer of graphite with sp 2 hybridized carbon atoms arranged in a unique honeycomb structure, exhibiting high conductivity, excellent thermal stability, and excellent mechanical strength and showing the possibilities in multiple electronic applications [14,15].…”