Simple, Green, and High-Yield Production of Boron-Based Nanostructures with Diverse Morphologies by Dissolution and Recrystallization of Layered Magnesium Diboride Crystals in Water

Layered metal diborides that contain metal atoms sandwiched between boron honeycomb planes offer a rich opportunity to access graphenic forms of boron. We recently demonstrated that magnesium diboride (MgB2) could be exfoliated by ultrasonication in water to yield boron-based nanosheets. However, knowledge of the fate of metal boride crystals in aqueous phases is still in its incipient stages. This work presents our preliminary findings on the discovery that MgB2 crystals can undergo dissolution in water under ambient conditions to result in precursors (prenucleation clusters) that, upon aging, undergo nonclassical crystallization preferentially growing in lateral directions by two-dimensional (2D) oriented attachment. We show that this recrystallization can be utilized as an avenue to obtain a high yield (approximate to 92%) of boron-based nanostructures, including nanodots, nanograins, nanoflakes, and nanosheets. These nanostructures comprise boron honeycomb planes chemically modified with hydride and oxy functional groups, which results in an overall negative charge on their surfaces. This ability of MgB2 crystals to yield prenucleation clusters that can self-seed to form nanostructures comprising chemically modified boron honeycomb planes presents a new facet to the physicochemical interaction of MgB2 with water. These findings also open newer avenues to obtain boron-based nanostructures with tunable morphologies by varying the chemical milieu during recrystallization.