Cocrystallization Enabled Spatial Self‐Confinement Approach to Synthesize Crystalline Porous Metal Oxide Nanosheets for Gas Sensing
Xuanyu Yang, Ya-Tong Shi, Kefeng Xie, Shaoming Fang, Yonghui Zhang, Yonghui Deng
Abstract
Abstract Crystalline metal oxide nanosheets show exceptional catalytic performance owing to the large surface‐to‐volume ratio and quantum confinement effect. However, it is still a challenge to develop a facile and general method to synthesize metal oxide nanosheets. Herein, we report a cocrystallization induced spatial self‐confinement approach to synthesize metal oxide nanosheets. Taking the synthesis of SnO 2 as an example, the solvent evaporation from KCl and SnCl 2 solution induces the cocrystallization of KCl and K 2 SnCl 6 , and the obtained composite with encapsulated K 2 SnCl 6 can be in situ converted into SnO 2 nanosheets confined in KCl matrix, after water washing to remove KCl, porous SnO 2 nanosheets can be obtained. Notably, a series of metal oxide nanosheets can be obtained through this general and efficient green route. In particular, porous CeO 2 /SnO 2 nanosheets with improved surface O − species and abundant oxygen vacancies exhibit superior gas sensing performance to 3‐hydroxy‐2‐butanone.