Liquid phase exfoliation
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First demonstrated in 2008,[1] Liquid-phase exfoliation (LPE) is a solution-processing method which is used to convert layered crystals into 2-dimensional nanosheets in large quantities.[2] It is currently one of the pillar methods for producing 2D nanosheets.[3]
This method involves adding powdered layered crystals, for exampe of graphite, to appropriate solvents and inserting energy, often by ultrasonication, although high-shear mixing is often commonly used. The addition of energy causes a combination of fragmentation and exfoliation resulting in the removal of small nanosheets from the layered crystals. In this way hraphite can eb converted into large quantities of graphene nanosheets.[4] In general, these nanosheets tend to be a few monolayers thick and of lateral sizes ranging from 10s of nanometers to many microns. These dispersed nanosheets form quasi stable suspensions so long as solvents used have surface energies similar to that of the nanosheets. Dispersed concentrations of order 1 gram per litre can be achieved. In addition to solvents, it is also possible to use molecular stabilizers, for example surfactants or polymers to coat the nanosheets and stabilise them against regaggregation.[5] This has the advantage that it allows nanosheets to be suspended in water.
Although this method was first applied to exfoliate graphite yield graphene nanosheets, it has since been used to produce a wide range of 2D materials including molybdenum disulfide, tungsten diselenide, boron nitride, nickel(II) hydroxide, germanium monosulfide, SnP3, and black phosphorous. The liquid suspensions produced by liquid phase exfoliation can be used to create a range of functional structures. For example, they can be printed into thin films and networks using standard techniques such as inkjet printing.
Printed structures have been used in a range of applications in areas included printed electronics, sensors and nanocomposites. Related methods include exfoliation by wet ball milling, homogenization, microfluidization and wet jet milling. Liquid phase exfoliation is different from other liquid exfoliation methods, for example the production of graphene oxide, because it is much less destructive, leaving minimal defects in the basal planes of the nanosheets. It was shown in 2022 that LPE can be used to convert non-layered crystals into quasi-2D nanoplatelets.[6]
References
- ^ Hernandez, Yenny; Nicolosi, Valeria; Lotya, Mustafa; Blighe, Fiona M.; Sun, Zhenyu; De, Sukanta; McGovern, I. T.; Holland, Brendan; Byrne, Michele; Gun'Ko, Yurii K.; Boland, John J.; Niraj, Peter; Duesberg, Georg; Krishnamurthy, Satheesh; Goodhue, Robbie; Hutchison, John; Scardaci, Vittorio; Ferrari, Andrea C.; Coleman, Jonathan N. (September 2008). "High-yield production of graphene by liquid-phase exfoliation of graphite". Nature Nanotechnology. 3 (9): 563–568. doi:https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fnnano.2008.215.
{{cite journal}}: Check|doi=value (help); External link in|doi= - ^ Coleman, Jonathan N.; Lotya, Mustafa; O’Neill, Arlene; Bergin, Shane D.; King, Paul J.; Khan, Umar; Young, Karen; Gaucher, Alexandre; De, Sukanta; Smith, Ronan J.; Shvets, Igor V.; Arora, Sunil K.; Stanton, George; Kim, Hye-Young; Lee, Kangho; Kim, Gyu Tae; Duesberg, Georg S.; Hallam, Toby; Boland, John J.; Wang, Jing Jing; Donegan, John F.; Grunlan, Jaime C.; Moriarty, Gregory; Shmeliov, Aleksey; Nicholls, Rebecca J.; Perkins, James M.; Grieveson, Eleanor M.; Theuwissen, Koenraad; McComb, David W.; Nellist, Peter D.; Nicolosi, Valeria (4 February 2011). "Two-Dimensional Nanosheets Produced by Liquid Exfoliation of Layered Materials". Science. 331 (6017): 568–571. doi:10.1126/science.1194975.
- ^ "China to dominate graphene commercialization". IDTechEx. 18 January 2018.
- ^ Galindo-Uribe, Carlos Daniel; Calaminici, Patrizia; Solorza-Feria, Omar (1 June 2022). "Revisión sobre la síntesis de grafeno por exfoliación en fase líquida: Mecanismos, factores y técnicas". Uniciencia. 36 (1): 1–14. doi:10.15359/ru.36-1.35.
- ^ Hu, Chen-Xia; Shin, Yuyoung; Read, Oliver; Casiraghi, Cinzia (2021). "Dispersant-assisted liquid-phase exfoliation of 2D materials beyond graphene". Nanoscale. 13 (2): 460–484. doi:10.1039/d0nr05514j.
- ^ Kaur, Harneet; Coleman, Jonathan N. (September 29, 2022). "Liquid‐Phase Exfoliation of Nonlayered Non‐Van‐Der‐Waals Crystals into Nanoplatelets". Advanced Materials. 34 (35): 2202164. doi:10.1002/adma.202202164. hdl:2262/101345. PMID 35470487. S2CID 248390135 – via DOI.org (Crossref).