Bursting Exfoliation of a Microporous Layered Silicate to Three-Dimensionally Meso-Microporous Nanosheets for Improved Molecular Recognition

Nanosheets are a burgeoning class of two-dimensional nanomaterials due to their fascinating properties and diverse applications. Mesoporous nanosheets are considered next-generation nanosheets because of their superior properties. Here, we report an unprecedented type of mesoporous nanosheets, microporous silicate nanosheets with vertically aligned mesopores. This material is synthesized by a facile gas exfoliation of a layered silicate (magadiite), having zeolite-like open microchannels within its layers, into mesoporous single- to few-layer nanosheets. Because of the structural features, the three-dimensionally mesoporous-microporous silicate nanosheets exhibit excellent molecular recognition ability for aromatic compounds via the microchannels, which is a considerable improvement over the original magadiite. We discuss the mechanism and the flexibility of the proposed facile exfoliation method and its applicability to a wider family of three-dimensionally mesoporous-microporous nanosheets.