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

Abstract

Manganese oxide nanosheets were synthesized using liquid-phase exfoliation that achieved suspensions in isopropanol with concentrations of up to 0.45 mg ml-1. A study of solubility parameters showed that the exfoliation was optimum in N,N-Dimethylformamide 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. For the first time, a hybrid of graphene and manganese oxide nanosheets was synthesized using a single-step co-exfoliation process. The 2D hybrid was synthesized in isopropanol suspensions with concentrations of up to 0.5 mg ml-1 and demonstrated stability against re-aggregation for up to 6 months. The co-exfoliation was found to be a 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