  Investigation on oxidation resistance of two-dimensional (2D) materials is
critical for many of their applications, because 2D materials could have higher
oxidation kinetics than their bulk counterparts due to predominant surface
atoms and structural distortions. In this study, the oxidation behavior of
high-quality boron nitride (BN) nanosheets of 1-4 layer thick has been examined
by heating in air. Atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy analyses
reveal that monolayer BN nanosheets can sustain up to 850 {\deg}C and the
starting temperature of oxygen doping/oxidation of BN nanosheets only slightly
increases with the increase of nanosheet layer and depends on heating
conditions. Elongated etch lines are found on the oxidized monolayer BN
nanosheets, suggesting that the BN nanosheets are first cut along the
chemisorbed oxygen chains and then the oxidative etching grows perpendicularly
to these cut lines. The stronger oxidation resistance of BN nanosheets suggests
that they are more preferable for high-temperature applications than graphene.
