Metal oxide nanosheets as 2D building blocks for the design of novel materials

Research into 2-dimensional materials has soared during the last couple of years. Next to Van der Waals type 2D materials such as graphene and h-BN, less well-known oxidic 2D equivalents also exist. Most 2D oxide nanosheets are derived from layered metal oxide phases, although few 2D oxide phases can be also made by bottom-up solution syntheses. Owing to the strong electrostatic interactions within layered metal oxide crystals, a chemical process is usually needed to delaminate them into their 2D constituents. The current review provides an overview of the synthesis of oxide nanosheets, and methods to assemble them into nanocomposites, mono- or multilayer films. Especially the use of Langmuir-Blodgett methods to form monolayer films over large surface areas, and the emerging use of ink jet printing to form patterned functional films is emphasized. The utilization of nanosheets in various areas of technology, e.g. electronics, energy storage and tribology, is illustrated, with special focus on their use as seed layers for epitaxial growth of thin films, and as electrochemically active electrodes for supercapacitors and Li ion batteries.