Two-dimensional (2-D) materials such as graphene and molybdenum disulfide (MoS<sub>2</sub>) have drawn tremendous attentions because of their unique physical properties and broad applications. Typically, these 2-D layered materials are held together by a large number of weak van der Waals interactions which must be overcome in order to produce stable single- or few-layer nanosheets. Various methods have been employed to achieve successful exfoliation from the bulk material, however, these methods are largely inefficient and incapable of mass production of dispersed materials for widespread application. An aim of our research is to improve upon the scalability and reproducibility of 2-D materials via advanced liquid-phase exfoliation approaches that avoid unwanted oxidation and aggregation. We report on these green approaches to liquid exfoliation alongside characterization of the dispersed nanosheets using a host of tools (e.g., scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy) to gauge the crystallinity, thickness, layer number, and surface morphology. These nanosheets are important materials within supercapacitors, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts, batteries, and dye-sensitized solar cells.

Few-layered 2D nanosheets generated by green liquid-phase exfoliation methods

251st National Meeting (2016)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.