A new stepwise-pressing reaction method is proposed, by which pure and near monodisperse turbostractic boron nitride (tBN) nano-particles with high yield (higher than 92%) are selectively synthesized via reacting BBr(3) and (CH(3))(3)N at 260 degrees C in benzene. The obtained sample emits a strong photoluminescence band at 346 nm (under a excitation of 215 nm), making tBN a promising candidate for fabricating UV photoelectronic devices. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.