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Inorganics
Special Issues
Physicochemical Characterization of 2D Materials
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Physicochemical Characterization of 2D Materials

A special issue of Inorganics (ISSN 2304-6740). This special issue belongs to the section "Inorganic Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 2487

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Melita Menelaou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol 3036, Cyprus
Interests: materials synthesis; crystallography; materials chemistry; physicochemical characterization; nanomaterials; nanoparticles; aerogel synthesis; spectroscopy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Martina Vrankić

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Materials Physics, Ruđer Bošković Institute, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: XRPD at ambient and non-ambient conditions; structure solution from XRPD data; synthesis/characterization of hybrid molecular ferroelectrics; structure–property relationship; materials characterization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Two-dimensional materials are becoming a hot topic in the modern research community, mostly due to their promising chemical, electrical, physical, and optical properties. Since the first discovery of graphene, an increasing number of 2D materials have been reported. In addition to graphene, these include TMDCs, silicene, phosphorene, MXenes, metal oxide nanosheets, etc. A fundamental question that remains unclear has to do with understanding the origin of the aforementioned promising properties. Two-dimensional materials can be developed through a variety of physicochemical techniques/approaches, which can generally be classified as either top–down techniques such as mechanical exfoliation, solution processing, and electromechanical exfoliation or bottom–up techniques such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), hydrothermal synthesis, and pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Each approach has its pros and cons. To understand the origin of these promising physicochemical properties, a comprehensive investigation of structure–property relationships in 2D materials is required, which can be facilitated by a combination of experimental characterization techniques and theoretical modeling.

Dr. Melita Menelaou
Dr. Martina Vrankić
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Inorganics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • 2D materials
  • structure–property relationships
  • physicochemical properties materials synthesis
  • thin films
  • graphene

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2257 KB  
Article
Scalable High-Yield Exfoliation of Hydrophilic h-BN Nanosheets via Gallium Intercalation
by Sungsan Kang, Dahun Kim, Seonyou Park, Sung-Tae Lee, John Hong, Sanghyo Lee and Sangyeon Pak
Inorganics 2025, 13(10), 314; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics13100314 - 25 Sep 2025
Viewed by 692
Abstract
Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) possesses a unique combination of a wide bandgap, high thermal conductivity, and chemical inertness, making it a key insulating and thermal management material for advanced electronics and nanocomposites. However, its intrinsic hydrophobicity and strong interlayer van der Waals forces [...] Read more.
Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) possesses a unique combination of a wide bandgap, high thermal conductivity, and chemical inertness, making it a key insulating and thermal management material for advanced electronics and nanocomposites. However, its intrinsic hydrophobicity and strong interlayer van der Waals forces severely limit exfoliation efficiency and dispersion stability, particularly in scalable liquid-phase processes. Here, we report a synergistic exfoliation strategy that integrates acid-induced hydroxylation with gallium (Ga) intercalation to achieve high-yield (>80%) production of ultrathin (<4 nm) hydrophilic h-BN nanosheets. Hydroxylation introduces abundant -OH groups, expanding interlayer spacing and significantly increasing surface polarity, while Ga intercalation leverages its native Ga2O3 shell to form strong interfacial interactions with hydroxylated basal planes. This oxide-mediated adhesion facilitates efficient layer separation under mild sonication, yielding nanosheets with well-preserved lateral dimensions and exceptional dispersion stability in polar solvents. Comprehensive characterization confirms the sequential chemical and structural modifications, revealing the crucial roles of hydroxylation-induced activation and Ga2O3 assisted wettability enhancement. This combined chemical activation–soft metallic intercalation approach provides a scalable, solution-processable route to high-quality h-BN nanosheets, opening new opportunities for their integration into dielectric, thermal interface, and multifunctional composite systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physicochemical Characterization of 2D Materials)
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19 pages, 4073 KB  
Article
Single-Atom Cobalt-Doped 2D Graphene: Electronic Design for Multifunctional Applications in Environmental Remediation and Energy Storage
by Zhongkai Huang, Yue Zhang, Chunjiang Li, Liang Deng, Bo Song, Maolin Bo, Chuang Yao, Haolin Lu and Guankui Long
Inorganics 2025, 13(10), 312; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics13100312 - 24 Sep 2025
Viewed by 366
Abstract
Through atomic-scale characterization of a single cobalt atom anchored in a pyridinic N3 vacancy of graphene (Co-N3-gra), this study computationally explores three interconnected functionalities mediated by cobalt’s electronic configuration. Quantum-confined molecular prototypes extend prior bulk models, achieving a competitive catalytic [...] Read more.
Through atomic-scale characterization of a single cobalt atom anchored in a pyridinic N3 vacancy of graphene (Co-N3-gra), this study computationally explores three interconnected functionalities mediated by cobalt’s electronic configuration. Quantum-confined molecular prototypes extend prior bulk models, achieving a competitive catalytic activity for CO oxidation via Langmuir–Hinshelwood pathways with a 0.85 eV barrier. These molecular prototypes’ discrete energy states facilitate single-electron transistor operation, enabling sensitive detection of NO, NO2, SO2, and CO2 through adsorption-induced conductance modulation. When applied to lithium–sulfur batteries using periodic Co-N3-gra, cobalt sites enhance polysulfide conversion kinetics and suppress the shuttle effect, with the Li2S2→Li2S step identified as the rate-limiting process. Density functional simulations provide atomic-scale physicochemical characterization of Co-N3-gra, revealing how defect engineering in 2D materials modulates electronic structures for multifunctional applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physicochemical Characterization of 2D Materials)
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12 pages, 4037 KB  
Article
Tuning Magneto-Birefringence of Two-Dimensional Vermiculite Dispersions Through Magnetic Ion Exchange
by An Wu, Tengxuan Cao, Hangkuan Ji, Wenjun Kuang, Jiarong Liu, Zichen Song, Jiandong Yao and Yi-Chao Zou
Inorganics 2025, 13(5), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics13050139 - 29 Apr 2025
Viewed by 734
Abstract
Liquid crystals based on dispersions of two-dimensional (2D) materials have recently been developed for light modulation, exhibiting superior performances compared to conventional organic liquid crystals in a variety of prototypical applications, including coloration, solar-blind communications and blue-light fluoresce. Among the diverse family of [...] Read more.
Liquid crystals based on dispersions of two-dimensional (2D) materials have recently been developed for light modulation, exhibiting superior performances compared to conventional organic liquid crystals in a variety of prototypical applications, including coloration, solar-blind communications and blue-light fluoresce. Among the diverse family of 2D liquid crystals, vermiculite-based liquid crystals stand out with advantages in low cost, ease of mass production and environmental sustainability, owing to the high natural abundance of the material. Here, we demonstrated magnetic-field tunable optics with 2D vermiculite dispersions prepared through a facile ‘exchange and redispersion’ method. By exploiting the intrinsic ion-exchange capability of clay minerals, we observed a significantly enhanced magneto-birefringence of the vermiculite dispersion upon replacing the native cations with magnetic ions, manifesting in a doubled Cotton–Mouton coefficient, representing the highest value among previous reports. Magnetization measurements reveal that there is a remarkable magnetic anisotropy in Fe ion-exchanged vermiculite samples in contrast to the isotropic magnetism of pristine vermiculite, which accounts for the observed enhancement of magneto-birefringence. Our findings demonstrate that ion exchange can serve as a simple and effective strategy to modulate the physical and chemical properties of 2D materials’ dispersions, thereby opening avenues for broader and more diverse applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physicochemical Characterization of 2D Materials)
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