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. 2018 Jun 21:6:83.
doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2018.00083. eCollection 2018.

One-Step Synthesis of Hexagonal Boron Nitrides, Their Crystallinity and Biodegradation

Özlem Şen  1 , Melis Emanet  1 , Mustafa Çulha  1
Affiliations

One-Step Synthesis of Hexagonal Boron Nitrides, Their Crystallinity and Biodegradation

Özlem Şen et al. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. .

Abstract

Hexagonal boron nitrides (hBNs) have recently been investigated for several novel applications due to their unique properties such as biocompatibility, superhydrophobicity, electrical insulation, and thermal and chemical stability. In addition, their biodegradation products have recently reported to have therapeutic effect on certain cancer types. hBNs are easily synthesized from boron and nitrogen precursors at moderately low temperatures. However, crystallinity and yield vary depending on the type of precursor, reaction temperature, and duration. In this study, a simple one-step hBNs synthesis method is reported without a catalyst, which might be an undesired contaminant for biomedical applications. The influence of boron precursors (boric acid, colemanite, or boron trioxide) on hBNs crystallinity, stability, and biodegradation in suspensions containing oxidative and hydrolytic degradation agents is investigated with the aim of their possible application in biomedicine. We found that the choice of boron precursor is a critically important parameter controlling the hBNs crystallinity and dependently influencing the biodegradation rate.

Keywords: biodegradation; boric acid; boron trioxide; colemanite; hexagonal boron nitride; synthesis.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
SEM images of (A) hBNs_boric acid, (B) hBNs_colemanite, and (C) hBNs_boron trioxide. TEM images of (D,G) hBNs_boric acid, (E,H) hBNs_colemanite, and (F,I) hBNs_boron trioxide.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Characterization of hBNs obtained from various precursors. (A) UV-Vis, (B) XRD, (C) FT-IR, and (D) Raman spectroscopy.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Size distribution of (A) hBNs_boric acid, (B) hBNs_colemanite, and (C) hBNs_boron trioxide.
Figure 4
Figure 4
TGA curves of hBNs synthesized from different precursors.
Figure 5
Figure 5
TGA curves of hBNs before and after biodegradation treatment. (A) hBNs_boric acid, (B) hBNs_colemanite, and (C) hBNs_boron trioxide.
Figure 6
Figure 6
ICP-MS results of hBNs in LMS and PBS suspensions at increasing time points during biodegradation process. (A) hBNs_boric acid, (B) hBNs_colemanite, and (C) hBNs_boron trioxide.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Raman spectra of hBNs before and after biodegradation process. (A) hBNs_boric acid, (B) hBNs_colemanite, and (C) hBNs_boron trioxide.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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