Self‐Assembly of MXene‐Surfactants at Liquid–Liquid Interfaces: From Structured Liquids to 3D Aerogels

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie (International ed.) Vol. 58; no. 50; pp. 18171 - 18176
• Main Authors: Shi, Shaowei, Qian, Bingqing, Wu, Xinyu, Sun, Huilou, Wang, Haiqiao, Zhang, Hao‐Bin, Yu, Zhong‐Zhen, Russell, Thomas P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 09.12.2019; Wiley
• Edition: International ed. in English
• Subjects: Aerogels; Assembly; Electronic devices; Electronic equipment; Fabrication; INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; Interfaces; interfacial assembly; Jamming; Liquids; Metal carbides; Microfluidic devices; Microfluidics; MXene surfactants; MXenes; Nanocomposites; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; Nanostructure; Nanotechnology; Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane; structured liquids; Surfactants; Transition metals; structured liquids; aerogels; MXene surfactants; interfacial assembly; jamming
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.201908402

2D transition metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes), a class of emerging nanomaterials with intriguing properties, have attracted significant attention in recent years. However, owing to the highly hydrophilic nature of MXene nanosheets, assembly strategies of MXene at liquid–liquid interfaces have been very limited and challenging. Herein, through the cooperative assembly of MXene and amine‐functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane at the oil–water interface, we report the formation, assembly, and jamming of a new type MXene‐based Janus‐like nanoparticle surfactants, termed MXene‐surfactants (MXSs), which can significantly enhance the interfacial activity of MXene nanosheets. More importantly, this simple assembly strategy opens a new platform for the fabrication of functional MXene assemblies from mesoscale (e.g., structured liquids) to macroscale (e.g., aerogels), that can be used for a range of applications, including nanocomposites, electronic devices, and all‐liquid microfluidic devices. We're jammin’: The formation, assembly, and jamming of a new type MXene‐based Janus‐like nanoparticle surfactants, termed MXene‐surfactants (MXSs), is reported through the cooperative assembly of MXene and amine‐functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane at the oil–water interface. The MXSs can significantly enhance the interfacial activity of MXene nanosheets.