Cytotoxicity of exfoliated layered vanadium dichalcogenides

Transition-metal Group 5 vanadium dichalcogenides have shown promising properties for many applications, such as batteries, capacitors, electrocatalysts for hydrogen production and many more. However, their toxicological effects have not yet been well understood. Here, we studied the cytotoxicity of exfoliated VS₂, VSe₂ and VTe₂ by incubating various concentrations of the materials with human lung carcinoma (A549) cells for 24 h and measuring the remaining cell viabilities after the treatment. We found that these vanadium dichalcogenides are relatively more toxic compared to Group 6 transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), namely MoS₂, WS₂ and WSe₂. This study is important for a better understanding of the toxicity of TMDs in preparation for their actual commercialisation in the future. (copyright 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)