Detail:
Abstract Boron nitride (BN) nanosheets, sometimes called “white graphene”, are an important member of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials. They possess some properties similar to graphene but also many unique properties unavailable to graphene. For example, BN nanosheets are electrical insulator with a stable wide bandgap about 6 eV in regardless of thickness, and hence excellent dielectric substrate for graphene and MoS2 based devices. In contrast to the intensive studies on graphene, many fundamental properties and potential applications of BN nanosheets are still waiting for experimental exploration. In this talk, my recent research progress on the unique property (e.g. oxidation resistance, thermal, mechanical, optical, dielectric and surface) to application (e.g. corrosion protection, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, and water treatment) of BN nanosheets will be reviewed [1-9]. As a powerful technique to precisely probe chemical environment, valence state, bond orientation etc, Synchrotron-based NEXAFS can be a valuable tool to study nanomaterials. I will also briefly introduce this technique and the use of it in my research [10-14].