| Summary: | Hexagonal boron nitrite (<i>h</i>BN) is an attractive material for many applications such as in electronics as a complement to graphene, in anti-oxidation coatings, light emitters, etc. However, the synthesis of high-quality <i>h</i>BN at cost-effective conditions is still a great challenge. Thus, this work reports on the synthesis of large-area and crystalline <i>h</i>BN nanosheets via the modified polymer derived ceramics (PDCs) process. The addition of both the BaF<sub>2</sub> and Li<sub>3</sub>N, as melting-point reduction and crystallization agents, respectively, led to the production of <i>h</i>BN powders with excellent physicochemical properties at relatively low temperatures and atmospheric pressure conditions. For instance, XRD, Raman, and XPS data revealed improved crystallinity and quality at a decreased formation temperature of 1200 °C upon the addition of 5 wt% of BaF<sub>2</sub>. Moreover, morphological determination illustrated the formation of multi-layered nanocrystalline and well-defined shaped hBN powders with crystal sizes of 2.74−8.41 ± 0.71 µm in diameter. Despite the compromised thermal stability, as shown by the ease of oxidation at high temperatures, this work paves way for the production of large-scale and high-quality <i>h</i>BN crystals at a relatively low temperature and atmospheric pressure conditions.
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