Synthesis of hybrid boron nitride grafted with poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) and its unique self-flocculation effect

This article reports on the fabrication of hybrid boron nitride (BN) grafted with thermoresponsive poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and their self-flocculation effect caused by the thermal phase transition and entanglement behavior of PNIPAM. Compared with the initial BN, the PNIPAM graft BN (BN-PNIPAM) has larger area, pore volume and self-flocculation effect with rapid response to temperature. After grafting, the effective self-flocculation could be acquired in a wide concentration from 0.01 g/L to 10 g/L, the corresponding removal percentage with the phase transition is higher than 95% at high initial concentration. Furthermore, BN has a significant increase in the absorption of hydroquinone after grafting. Thermoresponsive adsorption and self-coagulation will make BN-PNIPAM recyclable in potential water restorations.