Advanced composites are used in a variety of industrial applications and therefore attract much scientific interest. Here we describe the formation of novel carbon-based nanocomposites via incorporation of graphene oxide into the crystal lattice of single crystals of calcite. Incorporation of a 2D organic material into single-crystal lattices has never before been reported. To characterize the resulting nanocomposites we employed high-resolution synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, and nanoindentation tests. Detailed analysis revealed a layered distribution of graphene oxide sheets incorporated within the calcite host. Moreover, the optical and mechanical properties of the calcite host were altered when a carbon-based nanomaterial was introduced into its lattice. Compared to pure calcite, the composite GO-calcite crystals exhibited lower elastic modulus and higher hardness. The results of this study show that the incorporation of a 2D material within a 3D crystal lattice is not only feasible but also can lead to the formation of hybrid crystals exhibiting new properties.
@article{arxiv.2002.07059,
title = {Bioinspired Nanocomposites: 2D Materials Within a 3D Lattice},
author = {Matteo Di Giosia and Iryna Polishchuk and Eva Weber and Simona Fermani and Luca Pasquini and Nicola M. Pugno and Francesco Zerbetto and Marco Montalti and Matteo Calvaresi and Giuseppe Falini and Boaz Pokroy},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2002.07059},
year = {2020}
}