Layered Boron-Nitrogen-Carbon-Oxygen Materials with Tunable Composition as Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes.

The insertion of heteroatoms with different electronegativity into carbon materials can tune their chemical, electronic, and optical properties. However, in traditional solid-state synthesis, it is challenging to control the reactivity of monomers, and therefore, the amount and position of heteroatoms in the final materials. Herein, a simple, scalable, and general molten-state route to synthesize boron-nitrogen-carbon-oxygen (BNCO) materials with tunable boron-nitrogen-carbon composition, as well as electronic and optical properties, is reported.