The invention relates to a method for obtaining sheets of graphene, hexagonal boron nitride, molybdenum disulfide, tungsten disulfide or mixtures thereof from the powder of said materials. Said sheets consist of a set of strips, wherein said strips consist of between one and five layers. Said layers are layers of graphene, hexagonal boron nitride, molybdenum disulfide or tungsten disulfide having a monoatomic or monomolecular thickness. The invention also relates to a method for coating a surface with sheets of graphene, hexagonal boron nitride, molybdenum disulfide, tungsten disulfide or sheets of mixtures thereof.

The invention relates to a method for obtaining sheets of graphene, hexagonal boron nitride, molybdenum disulfide, tungsten disulfide or mixtures thereof from the powder of said materials. Said sheets consist of a set of strips, wherein said strips consist of between one and five layers. Said layers are layers of graphene, hexagonal boron nitride, molybdenum disulfide or tungsten disulfide having a monoatomic or monomolecular thickness. The invention also relates to a method for coating a surface with sheets of graphene, hexagonal boron nitride, molybdenum disulfide, tungsten disulfide or sheets of mixtures thereof.

Solar cells fabricated from p-n junctions of boron nitride nanotubes alloyed with carbon are described. Band gaps of boron nitride carbon alloys are tailored by controlling carbon content in the boron nitride nanotubes. High efficiency solar cells can be fabricated by tailoring the band gap of boron nitride carbon alloy nanotubes, and using these nanotubes for fabricating solar cells u. Because boron nitride carbon alloy nanotubes are transparent to most wavelengths of light, the wavelengths not converted to electrons (i.e., absorbed) at a first p-n junction in a solar cell will pass through the stack to another p-n junction in the stack having a different band gap. At each successive p-n junction, each of which has a different band gap from the other p-n junctions in the stack, more wavelengths of light will be converted into electricity. This dramatically increases the efficiency of solar cells.

Solar cells fabricated from p-n junctions of boron nitride nanotubes alloyed with carbon are described. Band gaps of boron nitride carbon alloys are tailored by controlling carbon content in the boron nitride nanotubes. High efficiency solar cells can be fabricated by tailoring the band gap of boron nitride carbon alloy nanotubes, and using these nanotubes for fabricating solar cells u. Because boron nitride carbon alloy nanotubes are transparent to most wavelengths of light, the wavelengths not converted to electrons (i.e., absorbed) at a first p-n junction in a solar cell will pass through the stack to another p-n junction in the stack having a different band gap. At each successive p-n junction, each of which has a different band gap from the other p-n junctions in the stack, more wavelengths of light will be converted into electricity. This dramatically increases the efficiency of solar cells.

A new compound (NH.sub.4).sub.3H.sub.2[BOB(PO.sub.4).sub.3] was prepared and found to conduct protons under a variety of temperature conditions relevant to fuel cell operation. Also described is the related material Rb.sub.x(NH.sub.4).sub.3-xH.sub.2(BOB(PO.sub.4).sub.3) where 0>x3.

As disclosed herein, the viscoelastic performance of boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) materials may be enhanced and made into useful formats by utilizing purified BNNTs, aligned BNNTs, isotopically enhanced BNNTs, and density controlled BNNT material. Minimizing the amounts of boron particles, a-BN particles, and h-BN nanocages, and optimizing the h-BN nanosheets has the effect of maximizing the amount of BNNT surface area present that may interact with BNNTs themselves and thereby create the nanotube-to-nanotube friction that generates the viscoelastic behavior over temperatures from near absolute zero to near 1900 K. Aligning the BNNT molecular strands with each other within the BNNT material also generates enhanced friction surfaces. The transport of phonons along the BNNT molecules may be further enhanced by utilizing isotopically enhanced BNNTs.

Described herein are apparatus, systems, and methods for the continuous production of BNNT fibers, BNNT strands and BNNT initial yarns having few defects and good alignment. BNNTs may be formed by thermally exciting a boron feedstock in a chamber in the presence of pressurized nitrogen. BNNTs are encouraged to self-assemble into aligned BNNT fibers in a growth zone, and form BNNT strands and BNNT initial yarns, through various combinations of nitrogen gas flow direction and velocities, heat source distribution, temperature gradients, and chamber geometries.

Solar cells fabricated from p-n junctions of boron nitride nanotubes alloyed with carbon are described. Band gaps of boron nitride carbon alloys are tailored by controlling carbon content in the boron nitride nanotubes. High efficiency solar cells can be fabricated by tailoring the band gap of boron nitride carbon alloy nanotubes, and using these nanotubes for fabricating solar cells u. Because boron nitride carbon alloy nanotubes are transparent to most wavelengths of light, the wavelengths not converted to electrons (i.e., absorbed) at a first p-n junction in a solar cell will pass through the stack to another p-n junction in the stack having a different band gap. At each successive p-n junction, each of which has a different band gap from the other p-n junctions in the stack, more wavelengths of light will be converted into electricity. This dramatically increases the efficiency of solar cells.

Solar cells fabricated from p-n junctions of boron nitride nanotubes alloyed with carbon are described. Band gaps of boron nitride carbon alloys are tailored by controlling carbon content in the boron nitride nanotubes. High efficiency solar cells can be fabricated by tailoring the band gap of boron nitride carbon alloy nanotubes, and using these nanotubes for fabricating solar cells u. Because boron nitride carbon alloy nanotubes are transparent to most wavelengths of light, the wavelengths not converted to electrons (i.e., absorbed) at a first p-n junction in a solar cell will pass through the stack to another p-n junction in the stack having a different band gap. At each successive p-n junction, each of which has a different band gap from the other p-n junctions in the stack, more wavelengths of light will be converted into electricity. This dramatically increases the efficiency of solar cells.

Described herein are apparatus, systems, and methods for the continuous production of BNNT fibers, BNNT strands and BNNT initial yarns having few defects and good alignment. BNNTs may be formed by thermally exciting a boron feedstock in a chamber in the presence of pressurized nitrogen. BNNTs are encouraged to self-assemble into aligned BNNT fibers in a growth zone, and form BNNT strands and BNNT initial yarns, through various combinations of nitrogen gas flow direction and velocities, heat source distribution, temperature gradients, and chamber geometries.