Selective Calixarene-Directed Synthesis of MXene Plates, Crumpled Sheets, Spheres, and Scrolls

Arni Vaughn; Jeremy Ball; Tobias Heil; David J Morgan; Giulio I Lampronti; Gabija Maršalkaitė; Colin L Raston; Nicholas P Power; Suela Kellici

doi:10.1002/chem.201701702

Selective Calixarene-Directed Synthesis of MXene Plates, Crumpled Sheets, Spheres, and Scrolls

Chemistry. 2017 Jun 16;23(34):8128-8133. doi: 10.1002/chem.201701702. Epub 2017 May 30.

Authors

Arni Vaughn¹, Jeremy Ball¹, Tobias Heil², David J Morgan³, Giulio I Lampronti⁴, Gabija Maršalkaitė⁴, Colin L Raston⁵, Nicholas P Power⁶, Suela Kellici¹

Affiliations

¹ Advanced Materials Research Centre, School of Engineering, London South Bank University, 103 Borough Road, London, SE1 0AA, UK.
² Department of Colloid Chemistry, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, 14424, Postdam, Germany.
³ Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK.
⁴ Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0EZ, UK.
⁵ Centre for NanoScale Science and Technology, School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA 5042, Australia.
⁶ School of Life, Health & Chemical Sciences, Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK.

PMID: 28432703
DOI: 10.1002/chem.201701702

Abstract

Fully exploiting the electronic and mechanical properties of 2D laminar materials not only requires efficient and effective means of their exfoliation into low dimensional layers, but also necessitates a means of changing their morphology so as to explore any enhancement that this may offer. MXenes are a rapidly emerging new class of such laminar materials with unique properties. However, access to other morphologies of MXenes has not yet been fully realised. To this end we have developed the synthesis of MXenes (Ti₂ C) as plates, crumpled sheets, spheres and scrolls, which involves selective intercalation of p-phosphonic calix[n]arenes, with control in morphology arising from the choice of the size of the macrocycle, n=4, 5, 6, or 8. This opens up wider avenues of discovery/design for new morphologies from the wider family of MXenes beyond Ti₂ C, along with opportunities to exploit any new physico-chemical properties proffered.

Keywords: MXenes; calixarenes; macrocycles; materials science; structure elucidation.