Liquid metal exfoliation of two dimensional polydopamine nanosheets for templated assembly of noble metal nanoparticles

Abstract

We report the synthesis of freestanding quasi-2D polydopamine nanosheets through a liquid metal-assisted polymerization–exfoliation process. This material promises a functional platform for tailoring 2D composite materials, which is demonstrated by using it as both the reductant and the template for directing silver nanocubes into shaped metal–polymer frameworks.