Boron Nitride-Based Photocatalytic Applications

Boron nitride (BN), particularly in its hexagonal form (h-BN), has gained prominence as a metal-free semiconductor for solar-driven chemical transformations. Its wide bandgap, high thermal and chemical stability and atomically smooth layers provide a robust scaffold for photocatalysis. Pristine BN absorbs primarily in the ultraviolet, but targeted modifications—including carbon or metal doping, the introduction of oxygen vacancies and formation of heterostructures with other semiconductors—extend light absorption into the visible range, improve charge separation and create abundant active sites. Applications span water splitting for hydrogen evolution, carbon-dioxide reduction to value-added products and degradation of organic pollutants, all under ambient conditions. The capacity to tune electronic structure via elemental substitution or interface engineering renders BN-based materials a versatile and environmentally benign class of photocatalysts, with global significance for sustainable energy conversion and environmental remediation.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated carbon-doped BN nanosheets as efficient metal-free photoredox catalysts in water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction under visible light, exploiting a delocalised two-dimensional electron system and tunable bandgap. More recently, biomass-derived borocarbonitride nanosheets exhibited a ninefold increase in hydrogen evolution rates compared to bulk materials, attributed to enhanced surface area and rapid charge separation at newly formed active sites. In parallel, investigations of rhombohedral boron monosulfide (r-BS) as a non-metal photocatalyst revealed visible-light responsivity in hydrogen evolution, CO2 reduction and dye oxidation, with cocatalyst modification enhancing stability under aqueous illumination. These contributions collectively showcase the evolution from fundamental BN doping strategies towards sustainable, high-performance metal-free systems for solar-to-chemical energy conversion.

Boron Nitride-Based Photocatalytic Applications publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in boron nitride-based photocatalytic applications across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN): a two-dimensional wide-bandgap semiconductor with a layered structure analogous to graphene, exhibiting high thermal stability and chemical inertness.

photocatalysis: a process in which light absorption by a semiconductor drives redox reactions at its surface.

bandgap: the energy difference between the valence band and conduction band of a semiconductor, determining the minimum photon energy required for electronic excitation.

oxygen vacancy: a missing oxygen atom in a lattice that creates defect states capable of trapping charge carriers and enhancing photocatalytic performance.

charge separation: the spatial separation of photoexcited electrons and holes within a photocatalyst, which reduces recombination and increases reaction efficiency.

heterostructure: an interface between two distinct semiconductor materials engineered to facilitate charge transfer or tailor electronic properties.

References

1. Carbon-doped BN nanosheets for metal-free photoredox catalysis. Nature Communications (2015).
2. Synthesis of borocarbonitride nanosheets from biomass for enhanced charge separation and hydrogen production. Scientific Reports (2024).
3. Rhombohedral boron monosulfide as a metal-free photocatalyst. Scientific Reports (2023).
4. Enhanced charge separation and increased oxygen vacancies of h-BN/OV-BiOCl for improved visible-light photocatalytic performance. RSC Advances (2019).
5. Stable Ti3+ in B-TiO2/BN based hybrids for efficient photocatalytic reduction. Chemical Engineering Journal Advances (2022).
6. Highly Efficient and Selective Carbon-Doped BN Photocatalyst Derived from a Homogeneous Precursor Reconfiguration. Catalysts (2022).