Materials Design and Function Exploration Based on Flexibility of Layered Structures

Abstract

  Layered structures and exfoliated nanosheets have attracted much interest as 2D materials in recent years. In previous studies, layered materials were used as host for the intercalation of guests and precursor for the exfoliation into the nanosheets. Our group has focused on the structural flexibility of layered materials for their functionalization. Layered composites of inorganic hosts and organic guests are used for preparation of the surface-modified nanosheets through the exfoliation in organic dispersion media. Stimuli-responsive color-change properties of layered conjugated polymers are tuned by the intercalation of guest ions and molecules. Moreover, amorphous conjugated polymer networks as amorphous graphene analogues are synthesized by the random copolymerization of conjugated monomers. These flexible layered materials have potentials for extraction of dynamic functions. This account focuses on such layered materials with the structural flexibility and their functions.