Functionalized Graphene-Like Boron Nitride Prepared Mechanochemically and Its Nanocomposite with Folic Acid

For the first time, a graphene-like material functionalized with nitrogen- and oxygen-containing groups (gBN_f) with a developed surface was obtained by mechanochemical treatment of bulk boron nitride and ammonium carbonate with subsequent thermal exfoliation. It is established that ultrasonic delamination of gBN_f in water leads to the formation of mainly single- and double-layer boron nitride nanoparticles. It is shown that the use of ammonium carbonate for the exfoliation of hBN significantly changes its morphology, which contributes to an increase in its specific surface area. Due to the binding of folic acid (FA) molecules to functional groups on the surface of gBN_f nanoparticles, a gBN_fFA nanocomposite has been obtained, in which gBN_f nanoparticles enhance the photoluminescence intensity of folic acid by ~20 times, promoting the possible use of this material as a marker for the diagnosis of cancer cells.