Functionalizations of boron nitride nanostructures

Boron nitride(BN) nanomaterials share the same atomic structures as their carbon counterparts, with mechanical and thermal properties second only to carbon counterparts. Especially, the iconicity of B-N bonds results in exceptionally high thermal stability and corrosion resistance, making BN nanomaterials a compelling contender for fabricating devices that can operate under harsh environments. However, all pristine BN nanomaterials are electric insulators and lack semiconductive functionality.How to efficiently regulate the electronic properties of BN nanomaterials has impeded the way of delivering their potential into applications. Here, we report an overview of key progress in functionalizing BN nanostructures by means of multi-physical-field coupling at nanoscale. In particular, we present how the chemical doping, electric fields, elastic strains and interfaces can modify the band structures and hence lead to narrowed bandgap and even magnetism in various BN nanostructures. We also discuss the effect of these modulation methods on charge carrier motility as well as potential challenges of their experimental implementation. Without applied doping, strain and electric field, employing inherent BN polarity to form electrically polarized interfaces is proposed to functionalize BN nanostructures towards controlled electronic properties combined with high carrier motility. We finally discuss recent progress of experimental synthesis of quality h-BN samples in large area.