Molten Inorganic Salts as Solvents and Reactive Media for Colloidal and Solid-State Chemistry of Low-Dimensional Materials

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PART 1: NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARYNanometer-sized two-dimensional materials are widely used for lighting and display applications, catalysis, and healthcare. Such materials are often made by chemical reactions in liquid solutions. As a result, the properties of a solvent used for the reactions become an important factor that determines the ability to make novel materials and give them specific functional abilities. This project, supported by the Solid State and Materials Chemistry program within the Division of Materials Research, explores the use of molten salts, such as liquid sodium chloride (cooking salt), as solvents for making new types of two-dimensional materials. Specifically, unique properties of molten inorganic salts are used to develop unprecedented surface chemistry for two-dimensional nanomaterials known as MXenes. The synthetic methods, which researchers at the University of Chicago develop, are directly relevant to the preparation of novel, technologically important materials with eventual applications in display technologies and for energy storage. A comprehensive education and outreach program accompanies the research and focus on education enrichment for the local underrepresented African American and Hispanic K-12 populations on Chicago's South Side. The major components of the broader impact activities include training undergraduate and high school students in research, curriculum development, and public outreach. PART 2: TECHNICAL SUMMARYThis project, supported by the Solid State and Materials Chemistry program in the Division of Materials Research, develops molten inorganic salts as versatile media for unprecedented colloidal and solid-state chemistry of two-dimensional materials. The observed colloidal stability in molten salts cannot be explained by traditional electrostatic and steric stabilization mechanisms. Materials in molten salts likely form through a novel mechanism related to the long-range ion correlations in the molten salt induced by the crystal surface. The approach provides unmatched thermal stability and chemical inertness during reaction conditions, and this study uses the unique properties of molten inorganic salts to develop unprecedented surface chemistry for two-dimensional transition metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes). Thereby the research program expands the boundaries for solution synthesis of covalent surface functionalization of extended inorganic materials. A comprehensive education and outreach program accompanies the research and focus on education enrichment for the local underrepresented African American and Hispanic K-12 populations on Chicago's South Side. The major components of the broader impact activities include training undergraduate and high school students in research, curriculum development, and public outreach.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.