An efficient light-to-heat conversion coupling photothermal effect and exothermic chemical reaction in Au NRs/V2C MXene membranes for high-performance laser ignition.

MXene, a new type of two-dimensional materials, have been demonstrated as one of the best photothermal materials owing to their strong light-matter interaction and high photothermal conversion efficiency in recent years. Herein, we report the intriguing light-to-heat conversion property of vanadium carbide (V2C) MXene under irradiation of millisecond laser pulse. Unlike the typical photothermal materials, the V2C MXene not only converts the incident laser energy to heat by the physical photothermal effect, but also triggers the exothermic oxidation of the V2C MXene. The oxidation could be greatly promoted with addition of plasmonic Au nanorods (Au NRs) for light absorption enhancement. Owing to the unique light-to-heat conversion property, the Au NRs/V2C MXene membrane could serve as high temperature pulse (HTP) generators that is proposed for numerous applications with high demand for immediacy. As a proof-of concept application, Au NRs/V2C MXene membrane was applied for laser ignition of the high energy density materials, such as 2,4,6,8,10,12-(hexanitrohexaaza)cyclododecane (HNIW or CL-20). An improved ignition performance, in terms of lowered laser threshold, is achieved as compared to the state-of-the-art light-to-heat conversion materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]