Boron nitride quantum dots (BNQDs) have garnered a significant amount of attention in recent years due to their attractive optical properties, high stability, low toxicity, and good biocompatibility. However, our study reveals a critical mischaracterization in this field, demonstrating that some so-called BNQDs are, in fact, carbon dots (CDs) formed through the unintended carbonization of organic solvents during synthesis. Herein, we investigate the widely used combination of sonication and solvothermal conversion for BNQD preparation, using ethanol and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone as solvents. Parallel syntheses are performed with and without BN bulk to produce the putative BNQDs and their corresponding CDs, respectively. Comprehensive characterizations, including optical properties and chemical compositions, reveal striking similarities between the BNQDs and the corresponding CDs. These similarities indicate that the presumed BNQDs are essentially CDs. This finding challenges the validity of numerous studies on BNQDs and calls for a critical re-evaluation of the synthesis–structure–property relationship in BN-based nanomaterials.

中文翻译：

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观察推定氮化硼量子点中的碳点


氮化硼量子点 （BNQD） 因其吸引人的光学特性、高稳定性、低毒性和良好的生物相容性而近年来引起了广泛关注。然而，我们的研究揭示了该领域的一个严重错误描述，表明一些所谓的 BNQD 实际上是通过在合成过程中有机溶剂的意外碳化而形成的碳点 （CD）。在此，我们研究了使用乙醇和 N-甲基-2-吡咯烷酮作为溶剂的广泛使用的超声处理和溶剂热转化组合用于 BNQD 制备。在有和没有 BN bulk 的情况下进行并行合成，以分别产生推定的 BNQD 及其相应的 CD。全面的表征，包括光学特性和化学成分，揭示了 BNQD 和相应的 CD 之间的惊人相似之处。这些相似性表明，假定的 BNQD 本质上是 CD。这一发现挑战了关于 BNQD 的大量研究的有效性，并呼吁对 BN 基纳米材料中的合成-结构-性能关系进行批判性的重新评估。