Crystalline carbon-nitride films prepared by reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering

Abstract

The significance and motivation of research on synthesis of a novel material, β- C3N4 were reviewed. It is seen that this subject is both fundamentally and technologically significant and presents a great challenge to condensed matter physicists, material scientists and chemists as well. Liu and Cohen's prediction that a type of carbon nitride compound, P-C3N4, is comparable in hardness with or even harder than diamond, was also conceptionally described. The progress and current status of research on this novel material were selectively described, showing that much progress had been achieved, particularly in four years before.