Effects of two wet exfoliation strategies on the yield and colloidal behavior of 2D hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets

We report the exfoliation process optimization, physicochemical characterizations, and comparative aggregation behavior of the inorganic 2D nanomaterial hexagonal Boron Nitride (h-BN) produced from two repetitive sonication-centrifugation processes with varying centrifugation speeds and recycle frequency: Continuous and Segmented protocols. Enhancing exfoliation efficiency and understanding aqueous stability are essential for sustainable design and environmental applications. Results showed that the Segmented protocol outperformed the Continuous protocol by having a six-fold increase in the exfoliated h-BN nanosheet yield by reusing the unexfoliated bulk h-BN and decreasing centrifugation speeds. Centrifugation speeds of 1880 and 950 rpm produced nanosheets of similar sizes due to the slight difference in the centrifugal force generated in both protocols. Moreover, nanosheets from both protocols had enhanced polarity due to the higher amounts of −OH bonds attached to the exposed edges of the nanosheets. However, the hydroxylation percentage of the nanosheets decreased with centrifugation speed. Both protocols produced h-BN nanosheets that were stable in DI water dispersion. The comparatively lower initial aggregation rate at all centrifugation speeds supported the fact that the Segmented protocol nanosheets were more stable than the Continuous ones. The Segmented protocol h-BN nanosheets showed better overall stability at lower speeds than the other centrifugation speeds. Segmented protocol nanosheets from 3750 rpm had the lowest aggregation rate than the other centrifugation speed. These findings assist in finding the balance between exfoliation protocol, environmental application, and implication of h-BN nanosheets.