Two-dimensional (2D) materials are known to be useful in catalysis. Engineering 3D bulk materials into the 2D form can enhance the exposure of the active edge sites, which are believed to be the origin of the high catalytic activity. Reported herein is the production of 2D "few-layer" antimony (Sb) nanosheets by cathodic exfoliation. Application of this 2D engineering method turns Sb, an inactive material for CO reduction in its bulk form, into an active 2D electrocatalyst for reduction of CO to formate with high efficiency. The high activity is attributed to the exposure of a large number of catalytically active edge sites. Moreover, this cathodic exfoliation process can be coupled with the anodic exfoliation of graphite in a single-compartment cell for in situ production of a few-layer Sb nanosheets and graphene composite. The observed increased activity of this composite is attributed to the strong electronic interaction between graphene and Sb.
The two‐dimensional (2D) vanadium carbide (V2C) MXene has shown great potential as a photothermal agent (PTA) for photothermal therapy (PTT). However, the use of V2C in PTT is limited by the harsh synthesis condition and low photothermal conversion efficiency (PTCE). Herein, we report a completely different green delamination method using algae extraction to intercalate and delaminate V2AlC to produce mass V2C nanosheets (NSs) with a high yield (90 %). The resulting V2C NSs demonstrated good structural integrity and remarkably high absorption in near infrared (NIR) region with a PTCE as high as 48 %. Systemic in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that the V2C NSs can serve as efficient PTA for photoacoustic (PA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)‐guided PTT of cancer. This work provides a cost‐effective, environment‐friendly, and high‐yielding disassembly approach of MAX, opening a new avenue to develop MXenes with desirable properties for a myriad of applications.
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