Efficient liquid exfoliation of KP(15) nanowires aided by Hansen's empirical theory

The KP(15) nanowires with one-dimensional properties has a defect-free surface, high anisotropy, and carrier mobility which is desirable for the development of novel nanodevices. However, the preparation of nanoscale KP(15) is still inefficient. In this work, the Hansen solubility parameters of KP(15) were first obtained. Based on the Hansen's empirical theory, the concentration of liquid-exfoliated KP(15) nanowires was improved to 0.0458 mg·mL(−1) by a solution containing 50% water and 50% acetone. Approximately 79% of the KP(15) nanowires had a thickness value below 50 nm and 60.9% of them had a width value below 100 nm. The thinnest KP(15) nanowires reached 5.1 nm and had smooth boundaries. Meanwhile, strong temperature-dependent Raman response in exfoliated KP(15) nanowires has been observed, which indicates a strong phonon–phonon coupling in those nanowires. This is helpful for non-invasive temperature measurements of KP(15) nanodevices.