Throwing light on the current developments of two-dimensional metal–organic framework nanosheets (2D MONs)

Due to the fascinating features such as ultra-thickness, great surface-to-volume atom ratios, abundantly available unsaturated coordination sites, highly porous structure, enhanced conductivity, and easily tunable structure, considerable research interest in the area of 2D metal–organic framework nanosheets (2D MONs) has been aroused worldwide. In this review, some recent contributions in 2D MONs by adopting various top-down (sonication exfoliation, chemical exfoliation, mechanical exfoliation, Li-intercalation, and chemical-assisted approach) and bottom-up strategies (surfactant-assisted approach, interfacial synthesis, modulated method, sonication synthesis) are summarized. This work aims to summarize some basic characterization techniques adopted for analyzing the developed 2D MONs. In further sections, promising applications of 2D MONs in various fields such as catalysis, gas separation, energy storage and conversion, sensors, wastewater treatment and biomedicine are also presented. In the final section, the exclusive perception of challenges and futuristic possibilities in order to promote development in this research field are presented.