title: Aqueous dispersions of few-layer-thick chemically modified magnesium diboride nanosheets by ultrasonication assisted exfoliation.
abstract: The discovery of graphene has led to a rising interest in seeking quasi two-dimensional allotropes of several elements and inorganic compounds. Boron, carbon's neighbour in the periodic table, presents a curious case in its ability to be structured as graphene. Although it cannot independently constitute a honeycomb planar structure, it forms a graphenic arrangement in association with electron-donor elements. This is exemplified in magnesium diboride (MgB2): an inorganic layered compound comprising boron honeycomb planes alternated by Mg atoms. Till date, MgB2 has been primarily researched for its superconducting properties; it hasn't been explored for the possibility of its exfoliation. Here we show that ultrasonication of MgB2 in water results in its exfoliation to yield few-layer-thick Mg-deficient hydroxyl-functionalized nanosheets. The hydroxyl groups enable an electrostatically stabilized aqueous dispersion and create a heterogeneity leading to an excitation wavelength dependent photoluminescence. These chemically modified MgB2 nanosheets exhibit an extremely small absorption coefficient of 2.9 ml mg(-1) cm(-1) compared to graphene and its analogs. This ability to exfoliate MgB2 to yield nanosheets with a chemically modified lattice and properties distinct from the parent material presents a fundamentally new perspective to the science of MgB2 and forms a first foundational step towards exfoliating metal borides.
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 382424, India.
authors.forename: Saroj Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Das
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 382424, India.
authors.forename: Amita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bedar
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, 721302, India.
authors.forename: Aadithya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kannan
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 382424, India.
authors.forename: Kabeer
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jasuja