Centimeter-Sized Single-Orientation Monolayer Hexagonal Boron Nitride With or Without Nanovoids

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Surface Science

Background:

• Scalable production of large-area hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is crucial for its application in two-dimensional materials.
• Current methods like exfoliation are limited for industrial-scale manufacturing.
• h-BN offers potential for protective coatings and advanced membrane technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a scalable method for producing single-orientation monolayer h-BN nanomesh.
• To demonstrate the transferability of h-BN nanomesh onto diverse substrates.
• To showcase the practical applications of transferred h-BN nanomesh as protective layers and membranes.

Main Methods:

• Growth of single-orientation monolayer h-BN nanomesh on 4-inch wafer single crystalline rhodium films.
• Transfer of h-BN nanomesh using electrochemical hydrogen delamination with tetraoctylammonium bromide.
• Preparation of h-BN membranes with 2 nm ion channels via growth substrate intrinsic modification.

Main Results:

• Successful growth and transfer of large-area single-orientation monolayer h-BN nanomesh.
• Demonstrated h-BN's effectiveness in protecting germanium from oxidation at high temperatures.
• Validated h-BN's functionality as a membrane with ion channel capabilities in aqueous solutions.

Conclusions:

• The developed method enables scalable production and transfer of h-BN nanomesh for diverse applications.
• h-BN nanomesh serves as an effective protective layer, preventing oxidation of sensitive materials.
• Single-layer h-BN membranes with precisely engineered pores exhibit promising ion channel functionality for liquid applications.