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November 6, 2022

Defects in a lattice structure of hexagonal boron nitride can be detected with photoluminescence

Defects in a lattice structure of hexagonal boron nitride can be detected with photoluminescence. Researchers shine a light with a color or energy on the material and get a different color from the defect. In addition, the figure shows hydrogen bubbles being generated from these defects that contain catalyst atoms (gray and dark spheres attached to the vacancies).

[Research supported by U.S. National Science Foundation grant HRD 2137557.]

Learn more in PennState news story Can defects turn inert materials into useful, active ones?. (Date of image: Nov. 18, 2021; date originally posted to NSF Multimedia Gallery: Nov. 6, 2022)

Credit: Elizabeth Flores-Gomez Murray, Yu Lei and Kazunori Fujisawa,


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