Compression-Induced Modification of Boron Nitride Layers: A Conductive Two-Dimensional BN Compound

The ability to create materials with improved properties upon transformation processes applied to conventional materials is the keystone of materials science. Here, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), a large-band-gap insulator, is transformed into a conductive two-dimensional (2D) material- bonitrol-that is stable at ambient conditions. The process, which requires compression of at least two h-BN layers and hydroxyl ions, is characterized via scanning probe microscopy experiments and ab initio calculations. This material and its creation mechanism represent an additional strategy for the transformation of known 2D materials into artificial advanced materials with exceptional properties.