Advances in Studies of Boron Nitride Nanosheets and Nanocomposites for Thermal Transport and Related Applications

Abstract

Hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) and exfoliated nanosheets (BNNs) not only resemble their carbon counterparts graphite and graphene nanosheets in structural configurations and many excellent materials characteristics, especially the ultra‐high thermal conductivity, but also offer other unique properties such as being electrically insulating and extreme chemical stability and oxidation resistance even at elevated temperatures. In fact, BNNs as a special class of 2‐D nanomaterials have been widely pursued for technological applications that are beyond the reach of their carbon counterparts. Highlighted in this article are significant recent advances in the development of more effective and efficient exfoliation techniques for high‐quality BNNs, the understanding of their characteristic properties, and the use of BNNs in polymeric nanocomposites for thermally conductive yet electrically insulating materials and systems. Major challenges and opportunities for further advances in the relevant research field are also discussed.

Emerging Layered Materials and Their Applications in the Corrosion Protection of Metals and Alloys

“…On the other hand, the h-BN agglomerates following a 24 h storage period in the absence of PBA. On the other hand, the liquid phase exfoliation of bulk MoS2, g-C3N4, h-BN and LDHs can be achieved more readily, to produce a few atomic layers of nanoplatelets [56,57]. However, the electrostatic interactions and the interlayer hydrogen bonding between the LDH layers can make the exfoliation process in water-containing solvents complex, and it can be difficult to avoid the restacking of the layers.…”

Liquid Metal-Assisted High-Efficiency Exfoliation of Boron Nitride for Electrically Insulating Heat-Spreader Film

“…Since then, diverse solvents, such as N , N -dimethylformamide (DMF), N -methylpyrrolidone, isopropyl alcohol, and other solvent mixtures, , have been employed to regulate the surface energy with a matched Hansen solubility parameter and thus facilitate BNNS exfoliation. Nevertheless, sonication methods often require long-time treatment and consume a lot of organic solvents yet produce a very limited quantity of BNNSs (yield ≤ 5%), which is neither cost-effective nor environmentally friendly. Compared with the sonication method, ball-milling is another widely reported strategy for exfoliating bulk h-BN into BNNSs .…”

Synthesis of Novel Non-Isocyanate Polyurethane/Functionalized Boron Nitride Composites

“…Here, we investigate the incorporation of functionalized hexagonal boron nitride (f-BN) into PHU to provide high mechanical and thermal properties. Indeed, BN nanomaterials have a high Young modulus (0.8 TPa), superior fracture strength (165 GPa), high chemical and thermal stability (up to 800 °C in the air), and outstanding thermal conductivity (300–2000 Wm −1 K −1 ) [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. Unlike graphene, BN nanomaterial is a dielectric material, with a wide bandgap (~5.6 eV), that has been proposed to be used in a wide range of applications in photocatalysis, pollutant degradation, photovoltaics, or sensors among others [ 26 , 27 ].…”

“…Indeed, BN nanomaterials have a high Young modulus (0.8 TPa), superior fracture strength (165 GPa), high chemical and thermal stability (up to 800 °C in the air), and outstanding thermal conductivity (300–2000 Wm −1 K −1 ) [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. Unlike graphene, BN nanomaterial is a dielectric material, with a wide bandgap (~5.6 eV), that has been proposed to be used in a wide range of applications in photocatalysis, pollutant degradation, photovoltaics, or sensors among others [ 26 , 27 ]. Reviews on BN and its composites are available in the literature, highlighting the interest of this nanoparticle [ 26 , 27 , 28 ], though no previous work has been found on PHU/BN systems.…”

“…Unlike graphene, BN nanomaterial is a dielectric material, with a wide bandgap (~5.6 eV), that has been proposed to be used in a wide range of applications in photocatalysis, pollutant degradation, photovoltaics, or sensors among others [ 26 , 27 ]. Reviews on BN and its composites are available in the literature, highlighting the interest of this nanoparticle [ 26 , 27 , 28 ], though no previous work has been found on PHU/BN systems. Because nanoparticle functionalization provides greater improvements than their non-functionalized counterparts [ 10 ], we choose a sugar-assisted mechanochemical exfoliation (SAMCE) process [ 29 ].…”