Delamination and Engineered Interlayers of Ti3C2 MXenes using Phosphorous Vapor toward Flame-Retardant Epoxy Nanocomposites

As recently created inorganic nanosheet materials, more and more light has been shed on MXenes, which have emerged as a hotspot of intensive investigations. The simple exfoliation method for MXenes attracts numerous studies to pay efforts on. Compared with the extensive research about ultrasonication and mechanical milling, gas-assisted exfoliation has never been carried out for MXenes. Meanwhile, MXene-based nanocomposites are always prepared after exfoliation step by step. In this work, a facile way to fabricate a few-layered Ti₃C₂ MXene delaminated using phosphorous vapor evolved from commercial red phosphorous (RP) is put forward. The vapor deposits on the surface of Ti₃C₂ and also partially intercalates into the interlayers to obtain a novel two-dimensional RP/Ti₃C₂ nanocomposite directly. The P element strongly connects with the substrate by a covalent bond that improves the safety problems for RP during storage and usage. Due to the versatile feature of MXenes, the nanocomposite has the potential to be applied in a variety of fields. Herein, it is employed as a flame retardant for epoxide resin and effectively reduces fire disaster. The one-step exfoliation plus nanocomposite fabrication provides a more feasible way for the practical application of MXenes.