Boron nitride nanomaterials for environmental remediation, energy, and sensing: a review

Current issues of pollution, energy shortage, and pollutant detection are calling for the development of advanced materials. Here, we review boron nitride nanomaterials with focus on synthesis, functionalization, and application in environmental remediation, energy production and storage, and chemical sensing. Nanomaterials synthesis is done by ball‐milling or acoustic cavitation‐assisted exfoliation, hard and soft template methods, calcination, hydro‐ and solvothermal methods, chemical vapor deposition, arc discharge, laser ablation, microwave, carbothermal reduction, coprecipitation, and electrospinning. Water pollutants are removed by adsorption or by photocatalysis using nanomaterials. Nanomaterials are used for hydrogen production and storage, and for sensing of pollutants and gases. Electrospinning and non‐template methods produce materials with high surface areas of 0.7–1,900 m²/g, and are cost‐effective and scalable. Pollutant removal efficiency ranges from 15 to 2,989 mg/g for cadmium, 20 to 808 mg/g for copper, 31 to 1,030 mg/g for methylene blue, 60 to 794 mg/g for crystal violet, 75 to 82% for ciprofloxacin, and 80 to 100% for tetracycline. Hydrogen generation reaches 31 mmol/g per hour, and hydrogen storage 7.7 wt%. Sensors sensitivity is 0.08 µM for ascorbic acid, and 0.15 pg/mL for concanavalin A.