Synthesis, delamination, and characterization of substituted magnesium diboride

Abstract

The discovery of graphene and the elucidation of its remarkable properties has spurred intense interest in two-dimensional structures of a wide variety of materials. This work demonstrates the synthesis and characterization of free-standing two-dimensional nanoplatelets of magnesium diboride (MgB2), a remarkable superconducting material. The delamination of MgB2 is accomplished by the incorporation of lithium into the material in a solvated electron solution and subsequently reacting the lithiated compound with water. Both the lithium-substituted MgB2 and the resultant nanoplatelets are characterized by an array of techniques, including nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, and low-temperature superconducting quantum interference device measurements. The development of a method to create unsupported two-dimensional nanostructures of MgB2 provides an unprecedented aspect to the already well-developed study of MgB2 thin films and the associated potential for using the material to create novel electronic devices that take advantage of its superconductivity.