Hierarchical Co‐Assembly Achieves Shape‐Programmable All‐Boron‐Nitride Monoliths with Excellent Thermophysical Performances
Despite boron nitride's (BN) exceptional physical performance and durability, the current lack of a systematic methodology for BN processing, which stems from its extreme robustness, often necessitates the use of additive materials, thereby frequently sacrificing its desirable properties. Here, we report binder-free BN monoliths derived from a suspension with tunable rheology and long-term colloidal stability. The control of solvent affinity allows the production of two distinct BN morphologies: (1) physically exfoliated, large-size BN flakes (p-BN) and (2) mechanochemically produced, small-size BN particles (m-BN) with hydroxyl-functionalized edges. Crucially, the interfacial interactions and aspect ratio complementarity between the two BN components enable spontaneous co-assembly into a long-term stable, binder-free suspension with programmable rheology. The resulting binder-free BN films exhibit a 19-fold enhancement in cohesive energy (3.8 J·m<sup>-</sup> <sup>2</sup> vs. 0.20 J·m<sup>-</sup> <sup>2</sup> for p-BN), high in-plane thermal conductivity (>40.6 W·m<sup>-</sup> <sup>1</sup>·K<sup>-</sup> <sup>1</sup>), and a neutron absorption coefficient of 28.3 cm<sup>-</sup> <sup>1</sup>, offering a promising solution for advanced aerospace, nuclear, and optoelectronic systems operating under severe environmental constraints.
Authors
- Sumin Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3117-7293)
- Hanhwi Jang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1628-4522)
- Yeon Sik Jung (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7709-8347)
- JongYul Kim
- K-Y Ahn
- Min-Wook Oh
- Gwangsik Mun
- Taejoo Kim
- Yujin Han
Institutions
- Hanbat National University (KR)
- Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KR)
- Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Materials
- Published
- 2026-01-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202518432
- Primary Topic
- Thermal properties of materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Research Foundation
- Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea