title: Dispersible shortened boron nitride nanotubes with improved molecule-loading capacity.
abstract: The oxidation process of boron nitride nanotubes was thoroughly investigated, and a slow oxidation characteristic was clearly revealed. Subsequently, the controllable oxidation process was utilized to break the sturdy structure of the boron nitride nanotubes to fabricate shortened nanotubes. The shortened boron nitride nanotubes were found to possess good solubility in water and many organic solvents. Further experiments demonstrated remarkably improved molecule-loading capacity of the shortened boron nitride nanotubes. These dispersible shortened boron nitride nanotubes might have the potential to be developed as effective delivery systems for various molecules, which may find applications in bio-related fields.
authors.affiliation: International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Namiki 1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan. Zhi.Chunyi@nims.go.jp
authors.forename: Chunyi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhi
authors.forename: Nobutaka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hanagata
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bando
authors.forename: Dmitri
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Golberg
mesh_terms: D001896:Boron Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D012995:Solubility; D013696:Temperature; D013818:Thermogravimetry
chemical_list: D001896:Boron Compounds; C017282:boron nitride