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Manganese oxide nanosheets and a 2D hybrid of graphene-manganese oxide nanosheets synthesized by liquid-phase exfoliation

Manganese oxide nanosheets were synthesized using liquid phase exfoliation that achieved suspensions in isopropanol with concentrations of up to 0.45 mg/ml. A study of solubility parameters showed that the exfoliation was optimum in DMF followed by isopropanol and diethylene glycol. Isopropanol was the solvent of choice due to its environmentally friendly nature and ease of use for further processing. The 2D hybrid was synthesized in isopropanol suspensions with concentrations of up to 0.5 mg/ml and demonstrated stability against reaggregation for up to six months. The coexfoliation was found to be an energetically favorable process in which both solutes, graphene and manganese oxide nanosheets, exfoliate with an improved yield as compared to the single solute exfoliation procedure. This work demonstrates the remarkable versatility of liquid phase exfoliation with respect to the synthesis of hybrids with tailored properties, and it provides proof of concept ground work for further future investigation and exploitation of hybrids made of two or more 2D nanomaterials that have key complementary properties for various technological applications.