A simple and green route to transparent boron nitride/PVA nanocomposites with significantly improved mechanical and thermal properties

A simple and green method is developed to prepare hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocomposites by using water as a common solvent of h-BN nanosheets and PVA. The obtained h-BN/PVA nanocomposites are highly transparent, and have significantly improved mechanical and thermal properties. They may outperform nano-clay and nano-alumina/PVA nanocomposites as flexible optoelectronic devices, optical windows and heat-releasing materials operated in oxidative or corrosive environment.