Co-depositing graphene oxide and exfoliated manganese thiophosphate: a simple route to new 2D nanocomposites

Lately, 2D layered materials have attracted much interest with their highly anisotropic structural and physicochemical properties.Often, these materials are easily processable as stable colloidal suspensions, allowing to benefit from solution processing and to fabricate functional thin films. Among the most technologically-relevant 2D materials, graphene, graphene oxide and their nanocomposites have exerted a pivotal role for their broad applicability. Here, we report the production of thin films of a new hybrid nanocomposite obtained through the intercalation of graphene oxide (GO) into manganese thiophosphate (MnPS3) layers by a simple “mixing and casting” protocol at room temperature. MnPS3 is a member of the transition metal thiophosphates family and it is an inorganic, pore-layered semiconductor which can behave as a flexible host lattice. The thin films were studied through the combined use of microscopy, diffraction and spectroscopy techniques, obtaining information on the interaction between the two nanocomponents. In particular, the XPS, XRD and Raman spectroscopy data indicate that a partial reduction of GO is obtained upon its interaction with manganese thiophosphate layers. Further electrical and optical analyses will be carried out in the future to determine if the observed partial GO reduction is reflected on such properties.