@article{Chu2026, 
author = {Tianshu Chu and Xinyuan Mao and Linfeng Li and Tao Wang and Xiaoyuan Wang and Bowei Zhang and Fu-Zhen Xuan},
title = {Physicochemical regulations of nanoconfined two-dimensional spacing toward highly-selective NH3 sensing},
year = {2026},
journal = {Nano Research},
volume = {19},
number = {1},
pages = {94908057},
keywords = {two-dimensional (2D) materials, gas sensing, ion intercalation, physicochemical regulation, nanoconfined space},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NR.2025.94908057},
doi = {10.26599/NR.2025.94908057},
abstract = {Nanoscale confinement environments often affect the transport mechanisms of nanofluids. Understanding the dynamic behavior of molecules in two-dimensional (2D) confined channels is of great importance in the areas of sensing, catalysis and energy storage. As a popular candidate for a new type of gas sensing material, MXenes have the problem of nonselectivity towards polar gases with slow responses, which severely limits their applications. Here, we report a study on regulating the confinement effect of 2D channels between MXene layers through annealing treatment and ion (Na+) intercalation for high-performance ammonia (NH3) sensing. Firstly, the annealing treatment accurately modulates the size of the 2D channels to effectively block the entry of large-size gas molecules and improve the selectivity for NH3. Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) also confirms that the modulated channel size has a special "nano-pumping effect", which can accelerate the dynamic behavior of NH3 molecules in the 2D confined space. Moreover, the intercalation of Na+ ions increases the adsorption capacity of NH3. Therefore, the "nano-pumping effect" and theintercalation of Na+ ions effectively enhance the response speed and sensitivity of MXene to NH3, respectively. The experimental results show that the modified Ti3C2 exhibits high sensitivity (0.17), rapid response (181 s), excellent selectivity and stability towards NH3.}
}