Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanomaterials for tissue engineering: Advances in bone, wound, osteochondral, muscle, and nerve tissue engineering

Ege D, Khalili V, Kamali AR, Boccaccini AR (2026)

Publication Type: Journal article, Review article

Publication year: 2026

Book Volume: 12

Article Number: 102183

DOI: 10.1016/j.nxmate.2026.102183

Abstract

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), which exists as nanosheets (BNNS), nanotubes (BNNT), nanoplatelets (BNNp) and spherical nanoparticles, attracts attention as multifunctional additive for tissue engineering scaffolds due to its mechanical strength, chemical stability, cytocompatibility and piezoelectric activity. Although many studies have evaluated h-BN in isolated systems, a systematic, morphology and matrix-dependent analysis across tissue-engineering applications has been lacking. This review analyzes h-BN-based scaffolds reported for bone, osteochondral, wound, muscle, and neural regeneration applications. The review analysis demonstrates that BNNp/BNNS dominate bone and wound-healing applications owing to their high surface area, antioxidant activity, and strong antibacterial behavior, whereas BNNTs are preferentially used in muscle and neural constructs where their intrinsic piezoelectricity enables electromechanical stimulation. Loading tolerance is shown to be matrix-dependent, with viscous networks accommodating higher wt% of h-BN, while semi-crystalline polymers such as poly(lactic acid) (PLLA) or polycaprolactone (PCL) require low loadings to avoid agglomeration. Simulated body fluid (SBF) studies indicate that h-BN enhances apatite formation when combined with bioactive glass or hydroxyapatite (HAp) but remains bioinert in zirconia, poly(metyl methacrylate) (PMMA), or low-density polyethylene (LDPE) systems. On the other hand, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was improved for h-BN added scaffolds due to piezoelectric effect, boron ion release and biomechanical cues. Across all studies, h-BN exhibits consistently high cytocompatibility and low immunogenicity. Overall, h-BN nanomaterials emerge as versatile, multi-functional platforms for next-generation tissue-engineering strategies.

Authors with CRIS profile

Aldo Boccaccini Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Biomaterialien)

Involved external institutions

Bogazici University TR Turkey (TR) Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) DE Germany (DE) Northeastern University / 东北大学 CN China (CN)

How to cite

APA:

Ege, D., Khalili, V., Kamali, A.R., & Boccaccini, A.R. (2026). Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanomaterials for tissue engineering: Advances in bone, wound, osteochondral, muscle, and nerve tissue engineering. , 12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nxmate.2026.102183

MLA:

Ege, Duygu, et al. "Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanomaterials for tissue engineering: Advances in bone, wound, osteochondral, muscle, and nerve tissue engineering." 12 (2026).

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