Liquid Phase Exfoliation of Two-Dimensional Materials by Directly Probing and Matching Surface Tension Components

Abstract

Exfoliation of two-dimensional (2D) materials into mono- or few layers is of significance for both fundamental studies and potential applications. In this report, for the first time surface tension components were directly probed and matched to predict solvents with effective liquid phase exfoliation (LPE) capability for 2D materials such as graphene, h-BN, WS₂, MoS₂, MoSe₂, Bi₂Se₃, TaS₂, and SnS₂. Exfoliation efficiency is enhanced when the ratios of the surface tension components of the applied solvent is close to that of the 2D material in question. We enlarged the library of low-toxic and common solvents for LPE. Our study provides distinctive insight into LPE and has pioneered a rational strategy for LPE of 2D materials with high yield