Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Morphotaxy, a process by which a 2D material is chemically modified while retaining its original physical dimensions, is an emerging strategy for synthesizing unconventional materials at the atomically thin limit. Morphotaxy is typically implemented by vapor-phase reactions on mechanically exfoliated or vapor-deposited 2D van der Waals (vdW) materials. Here we report a method for converting solution-processed films of 2D InSe into InI 2 and InBr 2 using dilute I 2 and Br 2 solutions, respectively. The converted materials retain the physical dimensions of the original 2D flakes, providing access to non-vdW indium halides in ultrathin form. Liquid-phase exfoliation directly enables this morphotaxial reaction by producing nanosheets with high surface areas and introducing residual polyvinylpyrrolidone that stabilizes the flake morphology and slows the reactivity of I 2 and Br 2 . Overall, this work presents a versatile strategy for achieving atomically thin metal halides and offers mechanistic insights relevant to the morphotaxial halogenation of other solution-processed 2D materials.
Source: Nano Letters
Language: English
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Commerce, Northwestern University, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Harvard University, International Institute for Nanotechnology, Northwestern University, Division of Materials Research, Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems, Center for Hierarchical Materials Design
Awards: NNCI: Soft Hybrid Nanotechnology Experimental (SHyNE) Resource, Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), G2233802770, G2343375527, G2601846172, G2788453484, G2797879381, G2968215205, G3010471893, G3203750490, G3352712625, G3575805401, Northwestern University Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, G4958141111, N-Doping of Organic Semiconductor Materials, G6540817556, ADVANCED MATERIALS CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE: CENTER FOR HIERARCHICAL MATERIALS DESIGN (CHIMAD)
OpenAlex ID: W4408502774