High Yield Exfoliation of a Sub-Micron Hexagonal Boron Nitride Using a Solvent Free Method
Sodium fluoride (NaF) has been found to be an activation agent in exfoliating a hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) platelet, using solvent free method. The procedure was carried out by enhancing the intercalation of ferric chloride (FeCl3) in an intermediate step, up to 330 °C, followed by removal of the by-product at room temperature. In this research, five additional common salts including lithium fluoride, potassium fluoride, lithium chloride, sodium chloride, and potassium chloride, were examined and compared to NaF for their effectiveness in producing the most exfoliation of a commercially available sub-micron-size hBN. It was found that, all fluoride and chloride salts significantly activated the intercalation of FeCl3 into this hBN. Analyses and characterization from X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscoy revealed NaCl to be one of most effective agents without further heat treatment and the least expensive salt in the intercalating reaction and exfoliation process. The synthetic route of this solvent free method is straightforward with 89% yield and above which can be produced on a large scale.