辐射还原-剥离法制备纳米金属/氮化硼纳米片复合催化剂

The fabrication of boron nitride nanosheets(BNNS)by the exfoliation of hexagonal boron nitride(h-BN)remains a challenging task in the field of two-dimensional material(TDM)preparation.Radiation-induced reduction-exfoliation(RIRE)is a new method of preparation of BNNS from h-BN.RIRE is achieved by the disruption of the interlayer interactions in a h-BN crystal by means of the volume expansion caused by the formation of Ni nanoparticles(NiNPs).NiNPs are formed via the radiation reduction of Ni2⁺ions intercalated between the h-BN crystal layers.As a result,sheet-like NiNP(approximately 20 nm)-bound BNNS(Ni/BNNS)in 200 nm squares,with an average thickness of less than 5 nm,was successfully peeled from h-BN under ambient temperature and pressure conditions in an alcohol/water medium.The prepared Ni/BNNS exhibited excellent catalytic performance,good structural stability,and viability for magnetic separation,which make Ni/BNNS recyclable.More notably,when the water/methanol dispersion containing Ni/BNNS was exposed to simulated sunlight irradiation,H2 evolution of 8404.3μmol/g Ni within 2 h was detected.Therefore,this work provides a new means for the preparation of BNNS by the efficient exfoliation of h-BN,introduces a one-step preparation method for novel TDM-supported nano-metal catalysts,and offeres new insight into the catalytic mechanism of visible-light catalysts.