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Noncovalent Functionalization of Boron Nitride Nanotubes in Aqueous Media

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are of intense scientific interests due to their unique physiochemical properties and prospective applications in various nanotechnologies. A critical problem hampering the application processing of BNNTs is the outer sidewall functionalization, which is primarily acquired to lead BNNTs dispersible in various solvents. Furthermore, the surface of BNNTs should be intelligently designed and precisely controlled to satisfy the specific demands of different applications. For these purposes, covalent and noncovalent approaches have been factually developed for opening up the key door of applications. Importantly, wrapping the outermost sidewall of BNNTs with either water-soluble polymers or biomolecules through weak noncovalent interactions has been proved to be efficient for giving BNNTs considerable dispersity in aqueous media, and endowing novel chemical functions to the BNNTs with almost no change in their pristine physiochemical properties. This contribution is made to summarize recent progresses, and further addresses the future perspectives on the noncovalent functionalization of BNNTs for promoting their application processing.