  Surface interaction is extremely important to both fundamental research and
practical application. Physisorption can induce shape and structural distortion
(i.e. conformational changes) in macromolecular and biomolecular adsorbates,
but such phenomenon has rarely been observed on adsorbents. Here, we
demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that atomically thin boron nitride
(BN) nanosheets as an adsorbent experience conformational changes upon surface
adsorption of molecules, increasing adsorption energy and efficiency. The study
not only provides new perspectives on the strong adsorption capability of BN
nanosheets and many other two-dimensional nanomaterials but also opens up
possibilities for many novel applications. For example, we demonstrate that BN
nanosheets with the same surface area as bulk hBN particles are more effective
in purification and sensing.
