Surfactant-free co-solvent exfoliation strategy for semiconducting quasi-1D Nb2Pd3Se8 nanowires†

Nb₂Pd₃Se₈, a quasi-one-dimensional (1D) van der Waals material, has recently gained attention owing to its intriguing structural, electrical and optoelectrical properties. In this work, we studied co-solvent exfoliation of Nb₂Pd₃Se₈ in a mixture of water and ethanol or isopropanol. By adjusting the compositions of the co-solvent, the dispersion behavior of Nb₂Pd₃Se₈ was interpreted in terms of surface tension and dielectric constant. This approach is effective for substituting the previously reported optimal solvent of NMP, which is toxic with a high boiling point of 204 °C. The Nb₂Pd₃Se₈ nanowire prepared through co-solvent exfoliation presented a high electronic property with an electron mobility of 10.3 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹.