Open AccessMass production of two-dimensional oxides by rapid heating of hydrous chlorides
Author(s) -
Chunsong Zhao,
Haitian Zhang,
Wenjie Si,
Hui Wu
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
nature communications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.559
H-Index - 365
ISSN - 2041-1723
DOI - 10.1038/ncomms12543
Subject(s) - production (economics) , chemical engineering , chemistry , environmental chemistry , materials science , engineering , economics , macroeconomics
Two-dimensional (2D) nanoscale oxides have attracted research interest owing to their electronic, magnetic optical and catalytic properties. If they could be manufactured on a large scale, 2D oxides would be attractive for applications ranging from electronics to energy conversion and storage. Herein, we report facile fabrication of oxide nanosheets by rapid thermal annealing of corresponding hydrous-chloride compounds. By heating CrCl 3 ·6H 2 O, ZrOCl 2 ·8H 2 O, AlCl 3 ·6H 2 O and YCl 3 ·6H 2 O crystals as precursors, we immediately collect large quantities of ultrathin Cr 2 O 3 , ZrO 2 , Al 2 O 3 and Y 2 O 3 nanosheets, respectively. The formation of layered nanosheets relies on exfoliation driven by rapid evaporation of water and/or other gas molecules generated under annealing. Our route allows simple, efficient and inexpensive production of 2D oxides. As a demonstration, we evaluate Cr 2 O 3 nanosheets prepared by our method as anodes in lithium-ion batteries and find superior performance in comparison with their microcrystalline counterparts.