Layered Nanomaterials - A Review

Abstract

Layered materials can become a myriad source of two-dimensional crystals if the layers can be separated from each other, for example via exfoliation. Potential applications for single-layer materials range from energy storage, electronics, and mechanical reinforcement of plastics, to life-saving applications such as drug delivery, medical imaging, and clean-up of toxic materials in the environment. Layered nanomaterials can be found naturally and can also be synthesized in the laboratory to suit certain specific applications. We describe here key layered materials including some naturally occurring (graphite, graphene, clays, layered hydroxides (LDHs)) and others that have been synthesized through chemical combination of some atomic species such as boron nitride (BN), transition metal oxides (TMOs), LDHs, and transition metal dichalcogenides (TDMs), along with a discussion of their properties and potential applications.