Hafnium, Titanium, and Zirconium Intercalation in 2D Layered Nanomaterials

Altering the physical and chemical properties of a layered material through intercalation has emerged as a unique strategy toward tunable applications. In this work, we demonstrate a wet chemical method to intercalate titanium, hafnium, and zirconium into 2D layered nanomaterials. The metals are intercalated using bis-tetrahydrofuran metal halide complexes. Metal intercalation is demonstrated in nanomaterials of Bi₂Se₃, Si₂Te₃, MoO₃, and GeS. This strategy intercalates, on average, 3 atm % or less of Hf, Ti, and Zr that share charge with the host nanomaterial. This methodology is used to chemochromically alter MoO₃ from transparent white to dark blue.