A new three-dimensional (3D) multilayer organic material : synthesis, swelling, exfoliation, and application

• Main Authors: Xu, Lu, Huang, Youju, Li, Junjun, Wang, Daoliang, Li, Liangbin, Chen, Mingming, Tao, Jiaojiao, Cui, Kunpeng, Pan, Guoqiang, Huang, Ningdong
• Other Authors: School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Science::Chemistry::Organic chemistry
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/106182; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/17074; http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/la400206s
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

A novel fully rigid, rod-shaped oligo(p-benzamide) (OPBA-6) molecule was designed and synthesized, which can be recrystallized into a three-dimensional (3D) multilayer material via an antiparallel molecular packing model. Intermolecular hydrogen bonding and π–π interaction are brought to ensure a strong intralayer interaction, while decoration of layer surface with sulfonic groups promotes water to enter interlayer space and facilitates the swelling and exfoliation of sample. With a simple dispersion in water, the obtained multilayer material can be easily swollen by water without destruction of in-plane morphology and subsequently delaminated into 2D nanosheets with thickness of about 5.38 nm. This achievement may be the first attempt to exfoliate layered organic materials and thus provide a new strategy to prepare 2D organic nanosheets without using any substrates or templates as required by conventional and widely used self-assembly routes. Based on exfoliated nanosheets, poly(vinyl alcohol) nanocomposites were prepared using a simple water solution processing method. A 64% increase in tensile stress and a 63% improvement in Young’s modulus were achieved by addition of 7 wt % OPBA-6 loading.