Photocatalytic boron nitride–based nanomaterials for the removal of selected organic and inorganic contaminants in aqueous solution: A review

Boron nitride (BN) coupled with various conventional and advanced photocatalysts has been demonstrated to exhibit extraordinary activity for photocatalytic degradation because of its unique properties, including a high surface area, constant wide-bandgap semiconducting property, high thermal-oxidation resistance, good hydrogen-adsorption performance, and high chemical/mechanical stability. However, only limited reviews have discussed the application of BN or BN-based nanomaterials as innovative photocatalysts, and it does not cover the recent results and the developments on the application of BN-based nanomaterials for water purification. Herein, we present a complete review of the present findings on the photocatalytic degradation of different contaminants by various BN-based nanomaterials. This review includes the following: (i) the degradation behavior of different BN-based photocatalysts for various contaminants, such as selected dye compounds, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, and inorganics; (ii) the stability/reusability of BN-based photocatalysts; and (iii) brief discussion for research areas/future studies on BN-based photocatalysts.