Algae Extraction Controllable Delamination of Vanadium Carbide Nanosheets with Enhanced Near‐Infrared Photothermal Performance

Abstract

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.

Insights into the Photothermal Conversion of 2D MXene Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Mechanism, and Applications

“…Other than the above mentioned, some green materials have been successfully utilized as the intercalants. Zada et al [ 26 ] used algae extraction to intercalate and delaminate V 2 AlC into V 2 C nanosheets with enhanced photothermal conversion efficiency compared to previously reported MXenes, such as Mo 2 C and Ta 4 C 3 . Significantly, this novel disassembling approach allowed a high yield of V 2 C MXene up to 90%, providing an efficient and environment‐friendly delamination method.…”

“…As F‐containing compounds increase the risks to the environment and human health, intensive efforts should be devoted to developing fluorine‐free, safe and efficient synthetic approaches, from the perspective of environment protection and large‐scale production. Some green precursors, such as algae extraction, have already been adopted as effective intercalants for the MAX etching, [ 26 ] and the family can be further expanded by exploring extensive environment‐friendly materials. Moreover, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method has been developed for the synthesis of large‐area high‐quality ultrathin Mo 2 C, WC, and TaC crystals, [ 27 ] which might open a new avenue for yielding more kinds of MXenes.…”

Recent Progress in Emerging Two-Dimensional Transition Metal Carbides

“…Besides the particle-like TMCs utilizing in catalytic and energy storage fields, film is another fashion of TMCs, where the solid materials have tiny dimensions in one dimension. Because the thickness is small, the proportion of surface particles is large, and the continuity of the structure is restricted by the surface interface, the properties of the thin films are quite different from those of the bulk materials including [49]: the decreases of melting point [32]; the selective projection and reflection of light [50]; the generation of surface energy level and surface magnetic anisotropy [51]; the varied critical temperature of superconductivity [52]; and the generated tunnel current in the direction of the thickness [53]. With the dimensionality decrease from three-dimensional to two-dimensional, the few-layered graphene and MoS 2 display many unique properties, which are quite different with their bulk states, such as higher carrier mobility and field modulated effect [53,54].…”

Degradable Hybrid CuS Nanoparticles for Imaging-Guided Synergistic Cancer Therapy via Low-Power NIR-II Light Excitation

“…PTT involves the use of photothermal agents that absorb light and generate heat to kill tumor cells upon near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation, permitting localized tumor therapy. 2 In recent years, many prominent optically active materials (e.g., organic dyes, 3 semiconducting polymers, 4 carbon nanotubes, 5 two-dimensional [2-D] nanomaterials, 6 gold nanomaterials, 7 and semiconductor transition metal oxide/sulfide nanomaterials 8 ) have been developed as photothermal agents for tumor PTT. Despite encouraging results, tumor recurrence and metastasis during PTT remain challenging; insufficient heat within tumors, the upregulation of heat shock proteins in tumor cells, and inflammatory responses can lead to incomplete tumor cell death and promote resistance and metastasis.…”