Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are novel because of their wide band gap, superb mechanical properties, high thermal conductivity and robustness to oxidation. These features make BNNTs promising nanofillers that lead to the significant mechanical reinforcement and improvement of thermal conductivity of a composite. However, only in recent years, benefiting from the development of effective syntheses of BNNTs, have the follow-up chemical functionalization and composite studies of BNNTs been initiated. To achieve better solubility and processability of BNNTs, various methods have been developed to functionalize BNNTs via different interactions. Moreover, BNNT polymeric and ceramic composites have been fabricated and property improvements have indeed been documented. In this feature article, we summarize the recent progress in the chemistry and composite research of BNNTs.

Boron nitride nanotubes: functionalization and composites

Review of self-powered solar-blind photodetectors based on Ga2O3

Metal oxides with hierarchical microstructures have attracted tremendous attention with respect to their enhanced gas sensing properties. Herein, we reported the facile synthesis of hierarchical ZnFe2O4 yolk–shell microspheres via a template-free solvothermal strategy and the subsequent annealing and chemical etching process. Electron microscopy images undoubtedly demonstrated that the novel ZnFe2O4 architecture was constructed of a large number of nanosheet subunits with a thickness around 20 nm. As a proof-of-concept demonstration of the function, when evaluated as gas sensing materials, the as-prepared ZnFe2O4 yolk–shell microspheres manifested an extremely high response and a low detection limit to acetone at the operating temperature of 200 °C. Significantly, the response to 20 ppm acetone was retained well even after 200 cycles and continuous measurement for 30 days, indicating superior cyclability and long-term stability.

Template-free synthesis of hierarchical ZnFe2O4 yolk-shell microspheres for high-sensitivity acetone sensors.

Laser-induced graphene (LIG) is a simple, environmentally friendly, efficient, and less costly method, as well as can form various shapes on a flexible substrate in situ without the use of masks. More importantly, it can tune the work function of LIG easily by changing laser parameters to control the transportation of carriers. In this work, the work functions of LIG were controlled by adjusting the frequency or speed of the laser, and a series of LIG/GaOx Schottky photodetectors were formed. When the work function of the graphene increases, the Fermi energy is shifted below the crossing point of the Π and Π* bands, and then more electrons or holes can be activated to participate in the conduction process, resulting in low resistance. Meanwhile, a large built-in electric field can be formed when using a high work function LIG, which is more beneficial to separate photo-generated carriers. Enabled by the controllable LIG, LIG/GaOx Schottky photodetectors can be modulated to have high photoresponsivity or self-powered characteristics. Our work provides a high-performance photodetector with excellent mechanical flexibility and long-life stability, promising applications in the flexible optoelectronic fields.

Work function tunable laser induced graphene electrodes for Schottky type solar-blind photodetectors

Photoelectrochemical photocurrent switching (PEPS) effect can regulate the polarity of photocurrent, which has significant potential applications in areas such as logic gates, photosynapse, and artificial intelligence. In this work, it is reported for the first time that a pure Ga2O3 photoelectrochemical system exhibits ambipolar photocurrent behavior induced by deep ultraviolet, which is closely linked to the crystalline phase of Ga2O3 (α or β) and the surface states of oxygen vacancies. Spongy porous nanorod arrays (NRAs) of Ga2O3 designed here not only increase the contact area of Ga2O3 with the electrolyte but also can lower largely the reflection of light and improve light‐trapping capacity. For α phase Ga2O3, the photocurrent is in a forward direction under positive bias and shows a backward direction under negative bias in NaOH solution, exhibiting a distinct ambipolar photocurrent phenomenon, which can be attributed to more oxygen vacancy surface states and lower potential barrier at the semiconductor/electrolyte interface. Furtherly, the effect of the surface states on the ambipolar photocurrent behavior of α‐Ga2O3 NRAs is demonstrated by various treatment times of oxygen plasma, whose switching point moves from 0 V to −0.19 V with treatment for 30 min and continues to move in the negative direction with the increase of treatment time. Moreover, based on the ambipolar photocurrent behavior of α‐Ga2O3 NRAs, adjustable Boolean logic gates with voltage are prepared as the input source, offering a new path for the photoelectric device multifunctional integration needed in the Post‐Moore era, with a high accuracy manipulated by solar‐blind deep ultraviolet light.

Ambipolarity Regulation of Deep‐UV Photocurrent by Controlling Crystalline Phases in Ga2O3 Nanostructure for Switchable Logic Applications

A General Strategy to Ultrasensitive Ga2O3 Based Self-Powered Solar-blind Photodetectors

Solution-processed Y-Doped SnSrO3 electron transport layer for Ga2O3 based heterojunction solar-blind photodetector with high sensitivity

Photoinduced charge injection and bandgap-engineering of high-specific-surface-area BN nanotubes using a zinc phthalocyanine monolayer

Photoinduced charge injection and bandgap-engineering of high-specific-surface-area BN nanotubes using a zinc phthalocyanine monolayer.

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