BeDimensional and Rice University demonstrate destruction of PFAS “forever chemicals” using few-layer hBN

Graphene Flagship partner BeDimensional S.p.A., a leading deep-tech company in the industrial production of two-dimensional crystals, and the Catalysis and Nanomaterials Laboratory, directed by Prof. Michael S. Wong at Rice University (Texas, USA), internationally recognised for excellence in catalysis and PFAS water remediation technologies, announced major scientific evidence on the performance of few-layer hexagonal boron nitride (FL-hBN) in the destruction of PFAS contaminants.

The material, industrially produced by BeDimensional, has been shown to destroy PFAS “forever chemicals” under UVC irradiation, a result of high environmental significance given the global concern surrounding these persistent contaminants.

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are among the most challenging pollutants ever produced. Their carbon–fluorine bonds are some of the strongest known in chemistry, making PFAS extremely resistant to natural degradation and difficult to eliminate from groundwater, soil, and drinking-water supplies.  Scientists around the world have long sought materials capable of breaking these bonds efficiently and safely.

Prof. Wong’s group at Rice University showed that BeDimensional’s few-layer hBN can achieve this destruction, delivering significant PFAS degradation and defluorination even at low catalyst loading. No energy to heat or to pressurize the reaction, because this destruction occurs at ambient conditions.

The laboratory results confirm that FL-hBN degrades PFAS by breaking the C–F bonds, enabling their transformation into harmless fluoride ions and small benign molecules. This is an important finding because metal-free photocatalysts capable of PFAS destruction are rare, and FL-hBN’s performance reveals a promising pathway for scalable, sustainable remediation. Furthermore, the FL-hBN is more active than conventional hBN for PFAS destruction, highlighting the unique properties of few-layer hBN.

A partnership that advances environmental sustainability

The collaboration marks a significant step forward in the exploration of innovative materials for pollutant destruction. The research benefits from BeDimensional’s capabilities to industrially produce high-quality few-layer materials and Rice University's deep expertise in catalysts that enable the sustainable use and management of natural resources.

Key outcomes of the collaboration

• Strong photocatalytic performance: few-layer hBN achieved 48% PFOA degradation in 2 hours, compared to 20% for TiO₂.
• Efficient Molecular PFAS destruction: FL-hBN reached 35% defluorination, significantly higher than TiO₂ (7%).
• High intrinsic reactivity: FL-hBN delivered strong activity even when used at very low dosage in water (e.g. one-fifth the mass of bulk hBN benchmarks is already functional).