Hydrothermal-Assisted Synthesis and Stability of Multifunctional MXene Nanobipyramids: Structural, Chemical, and Optical Evolution

Recent advancements in two-dimensional materials have brought MXene (Ti3C2) into attention due to its exciting properties as a very promising material for various applications. In this work, we report a novel Ti3C2 nanobipyramid (Ti3C2 NB) structure obtained through a three-step process involving exfoliation, delamination, and subsequent hydrothermal treatment. The morphological and textural properties at each step of synthesis were studied using an array of experimental techniques such as transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy and the chemical properties through X-ray diffraction, Raman, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The Ti3C2 NBs exhibit fluorescence with an excitation-dependent emission. Further, the effect of temperature and pH on the fluorescence was also investigated, which opens up its scope in bioanalytical applications. Ti3C2 NBs showed a ∼43% increase in photoluminescence intensity from pH 3 to 11 while a ∼38% increase with the temperature from 20 to 80 °C. Usually, MXenes are highly susceptible to oxidation, but the Ti3C2 NBs were found to be chemically and optically stable even after 30 days. Bestowed with good hydrophilicity, the material exhibited high biocompatibility on the mouse fibroblast cell line L929. Further, L929 cells also showed good cellular adhesion on a Ti3C2 NB-modified glass substrate. These properties pave a way for its multifunctional ability as a sensor for pH and temperature as well as bioimaging.

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