Controllable surface functionalization of boron nitride by heat treatment

Herein, boron nitride with functional groups (f-BN), which was obtained by the calcination of melamine-boric acid complex, was further functionalized using L-lactic acid. Observations revealed that L-lactic acid was grafted onto f-BN via two main functionalization routes by heat treatment: amidation and boronate ester formation routes. Since the functionalization degree of L-BN could be adjusted depending on the heating conditions, it is an effective strategy that would be applied to various further applications.