Exfoliation of Molecular Solids by the Synergy of Ultrasound and Use of Surfactants: A Novel Method Applied to Boric Acid

TL;DR

A new method using ultrasound and surfactants successfully exfoliates boric acid into thin layers, similar to how graphite is turned into graphene.

Contribution

The synergy of ultrasound and surfactants enables exfoliation of boric acid, a molecular solid with hydrogen-bonded layers.

Findings

Ultrasound provides the energy needed to exfoliate boric acid layers.

Surfactants help stabilize the exfoliated flakes in solution.

Incipient exfoliation was achieved using sodium stearate at 40 °C.

Abstract

Boric acid, H3BO3, is a molecular solid made up of layers held together by weak van der Waals forces. It can be considered a pseudo “2D” material, like graphite, compared to graphene. The key distinction is that within each individual layer, the molecular units are connected not only by strong covalent bonds but also by hydrogen bonds. Therefore, classic liquid exfoliation is not suitable for this material, and a specific method needs to be developed. Preliminary results of exfoliation of boric acid particles by combination of ultrasound and the use of surfactants are presented. Ultrasound provides the system with the energy needed for the process, and the surfactant can act to keep the crystalline flakes apart. A system consisting of a saturated solution and large excess solid residue of boric acid was treated in this way for a few hours at 40 °C in the presence of various sodium stearate, proving to be very promising, and an incipient exfoliation was achieved.

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