Electric field used as the substitute for ultrasounds in the liquid exfoliation of hexagonal boron nitride

• Electric field is as effective as sonication in enhancing the hBN liquid exfoliation.
• AC-electric field assisted liquid exfoliation of hBN crystals has been developed.
• Electric field assisted liquid exfoliation of hBN is an energy-saving process.
• Ethylene glycol prevents the hBN nanosheets from aggregation.

Nanosheets of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), several nanometers thick, were produced by liquid exfoliation in polar liquids with the assistance of an electric field (f = 40 Hz, E = 7 mV/μm). The use of ethylene glycol eliminated the aggregation of the nanoparticles. The electric-field-enhanced liquid exfoliation appeared to be an energy-saving process compared to sonication (103 times better in this respect). This benefit can be attributed to the fact that here the electric energy is only consumed by the interactions between the atoms located on the crystal planes; that is, it is only involved in the exfoliation process, whereas in sonication the energy is engaged in the whole collision process.

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