Abstract In order to synthesize B–C–N hybrid thin films, borazine (B 3 N 3 H 6 ) ion plasma was implanted in graphite at room temperature (RT) and 600 °C. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study suggested that B atoms in the deposited films are in a wide variety of atomic environment such as BC 3 , BN 3 and B–C–N hybrid. The ratios of these coordinations strongly depend on the temperature during the ion implantation. It was found that the B–C–N hybrid is predominantly synthesized by the implantation at 600 °C where the surface [B]/([B] + [C] + [N]) ratio ranges from 0.1 to 0.35. The results imply that it is possible to control the composition of B–C–N hybrid by changing the fluence of the ion plasma and the temperature of graphite during ion implantation.

B–C–N hybrid synthesis by high-temperature ion implantation