In-situ growth of amorphous carbon on sucrose-assisted exfoliated boron nitride nanosheets: Exceptional water dispersibility and lubrication performance

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is considered to highlight great potential in achieving low friction and wear due to high thermal conductivity, superb oxidation resistance and chemical stability. Herein, a sucrose-assisted ball milling method for exfoliating and functionalizing h-BN is proposed, and then amorphous carbon wrapped boron nitride nanosheets (aC@BNNSs) are obtained by hydrothermal carbonization. Tribological test results showed that after adding aC@BNNSs in water, the friction coefficient and wear track width were reduced to 0.09 and 65 mu m, respectively. The excellent tribological properties are attributed to the transition from amorphous carbon to ordered graphite structure. Therefore, this study paves the way for green preparation of few-layer BNNSs, and aC@BNNSs shows great potential to become a promising lubricant additive.

Automated summary

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a promising material for achieving low friction and wear due to its high thermal conductivity, oxidation resistance, and chemical stability. This study presents a sucrose-assisted ball milling method to exfoliate and functionalize h-BN, resulting in amorphous carbon wrapped boron nitride nanosheets (aC@BNNSs) through hydrothermal carbonization. The addition of aC@BNNSs in water significantly reduces the friction coefficient and wear track width, making it a promising lubricant additive.