Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42711300›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Origin of circular and triangular pores in electron-irradiated hexagonal boron nitride.

Umair Javed, Manuel Längle, Vladimír Zobač, Alexander Markevich, Barbara Maria Mayer, Clara Kofler, Martin Paul, Darwin Lorber, Nandhini Ravindran, Clemens Mangler and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Umair JavedUniversity of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Vienna, Austria. umair.javed@univie.ac.at.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-3600-6071
Manuel LängleUniversity of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Vienna, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4126-4059
Vladimír ZobačUniversity of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Vienna, Austria.
Alexander MarkevichUniversity of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Vienna, Austria.
Barbara Maria MayerUniversity of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Vienna, Austria.
Clara KoflerUniversity of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Vienna, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-7986-8733
Martin PaulUniversity of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Vienna, Austria.
Darwin LorberUniversity of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Vienna, Austria.
Nandhini RavindranUniversity of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Vienna, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-0529-1118
Clemens ManglerUniversity of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Vienna, Austria.
Toma SusiUniversity of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Vienna, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2513-573X
Jani KotakoskiUniversity of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Vienna, Austria. jani.kotakoski@univie.ac.at.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1301-5266

Funding

Austrian Science Fund (Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung) 10.55776/COE5Austrian Science Fund (Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung) 10.55776/P36264
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

For nearly two decades, it has been known that electron irradiation of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) in a transmission electron microscope leads to the formation of triangular pores. This has been attributed to the lower displacement threshold energy of boron, with or without the assistance of an inelastic scattering event, typically assuming that chemical processes caused by residual gases can be neglected. In this study, in contrast to previous high-vacuum experiments, we show that electron irradiation in ultra-high vacuum leads to circular pores, whereas even small amounts of oxygen in the atmosphere during the experiment drive the pores to grow into triangle shapes with nitrogen-terminated edges. This result is shown to hold for samples of different types and from different manufacturers, and at different electron energies as well as focused scanning and defocused stationary beams. Our results explain the chemical origin of triangular pores in hBN and demonstrate a deterministic way to create atomically defined pores in this important 2D material.

Identifiers

PMID42711300
PMCPMC13554199

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.