Heterostructures composed of 2D materials are already opening many new possibilities in such fields of technology as electronics and magnonics, but far more could be achieved if the number and diversity of 2D materials were increased. So far, only a few dozen 2D crystals have been extracted from materials that exhibit a layered phase in ambient conditions, omitting entirely the large number of layered materials that may exist at other temperatures and pressures. This work demonstrates how such structures can be stabilized in 2D van der Waals (vdw) stacks under room temperature via growing them directly in graphene encapsulation by using graphene oxide as the template material. Specifically, an ambient stable 2D structure of copper and iodine, a material that normally only occurs in layered form at elevated temperatures between 645 and 675 K, is produced. The results establish a simple route to the production of more exotic phases of materials that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to stabilize for experiments in ambient.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) mediated at the nanoscale has a unique advantage over currently used cancer treatments, by being spatially highly specific and minimally invasive. Although PTT combats traditional tumor treatment approaches, its clinical implementation has not yet been successful. The reasons for its disadvantage include an insufficient treatment efficiency or low tumor accumulation. Here, we present a promising new PTT platform combining a recently emerged two-dimensional (2D) inorganic nanomaterial, MoO_x, and a tumor hypoxia targeting element, the monoclonal antibody M75. M75 specifically binds to carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), a hypoxia marker associated with many solid tumors with a poor prognosis. The as-prepared nanoconjugates showed highly specific binding to cancer cells expressing CAIX while being able to produce significant photothermal yield after irradiation with near-IR wavelengths. Small aminophosphonic acid linkers were recognized to be more effective over the combination of poly(ethylene glycol) chain and biotin-avidin-biotin bridge in constructing a PTT platform with high tumor-binding efficacy. The in vitro cellular uptake of nanoconjugates was visualized by high-resolution fluorescence microscopy and label-free live cell confocal Raman microscopy. The key to effective cancer treatment may be the synergistic employment of active targeting and noninvasive, tumor-selective therapeutic approaches, such as nanoscale-mediated PTT. The use of active targeting can streamline nanoparticle delivery increasing photothermal yield and therapeutic success.