Surface terminations for 2D MXene have dramatic impacts on physicochemical properties. The commonly etching methods usually introduce -F surface termination or metallic into MXene. Here, we present a new molten salt assisted electrochemical etching (MS-E-etching) method to synthesize fluorine-free Ti3C2Tx without metallics. Due to performing electrons as reaction agent, the cathode reduction and anode etching can be spatially isolated, thus no metallic presents in Ti3C2Tx product. Moreover, the Tx surface terminations can be directly modified from -Cl to -O and/or -S in one pot process. The obtained -O terminated MXenes exhibited capacitance of 225 and 205 F/g at 1 and 10 A/g, confirming high reversibility of redox reactions. This one-pot process greatly shortens the modification procedures as well as enriches the surface functional terminations. More importantly, the recovered salt after synthesis can be recycled and reused, which brands it as a green sustainable method.
Nanolaminated materials are important because of their exceptional properties and wide range of applications. Here, we demonstrate a general approach to synthesize a series of Zn-based MAX phases and Cl-terminated MXenes originating from the replacement reaction between the MAX phase and the late transition metal halides. The approach is a top-down route that enables the late transitional element atom (Zn in the present case) to occupy the A site in the pre-existing MAX phase structure. Using this replacement reaction between Zn element from molten ZnCl2 and Al element in MAX phase precursors …
The MAX phases are a family of of ternary layered material with both metal and ceramic properties, and it is also precursor ma-terials for synthesis of two-dimensional MXenes. The theory predicted that there are more than 600 stable ternary layered MAX phases. At present, there are more than 80 kinds of ternary MAX phases synthesized through experiments, and few reports on MAX phases where M is a rare earth element. In this study, a new MAX phase Sc2SnC with rare earth element Sc at the M sites was synthesized through the reaction sintering of Sc, Sn, and C mixtures. Phase composition and micr…
Two-dimensional carbides and nitrides of transition metals, known as MXenes, are a fast-growing family of 2D materials that draw attention as energy storage materials. So far, MXenes are mainly prepared from Al-containing MAX phases (where A = Al) by Al dissolution in F-containing solution, but most other MAX phases have not been explored. Here, a redox-controlled A-site-etching of MAX phases in Lewis acidic melts is proposed and validated by the synthesis of various MXenes from unconventional MAX phase precursors with A elements Si, Zn, and Ga. A negative electrode of Ti3C2 MXene material obt…
New MAX phases Ti2(AlxCu1-x)N and Nb2CuC were synthesized by A-site replacement by reacting Ti2AlN and Nb2AlC, respectively, with CuCl2 or CuI molten salt. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and atomically-resolved scanning transmission electron microscopy showed complete A-site replacement in Nb2AlC, which lead to formation of Nb2CuC. However, the replacement of Al in Ti2AlN phase was only close to complete at Ti2(Al0.1Cu0.9)N. Density-functional theory calculations corroborated the structural stability of Nb2CuC and Ti2CuN phases. Moreover, the calculated cleavage energy in the…
Control of surface functionalization of MXenes holds great potential, and in particular, may lead to tuning of magnetic and electronic order in the recently reported magnetic Cr2TiC2Tx. Here, vacuum annealing experiments of Cr2TiC2Tx are reported with in situ electron energy loss spectroscopy and novel in situ Cr K-edge extended energy loss fine structure analysis, which directly tracks the evolution of the MXene surface coordination environment. These in situ probes are accompanied by benchmarking synchrotron X-ray absorption fine structure measurements and density functional theory calculati…
MXenes are rapidly emerging two-dimensional (2D) materials with thickness, composition, and functionalization-dependent outstanding properties having applications in diverse fields. To disclose nano-spintronic applications of 2D-double transition metal (DTM) carbide and nitride-based pristine and surface-functionalized MXenes (M'2M"X2Tx, M' and M" = Cr, Mo, W; X = C/N; T = -F/-OH/=O), a systematic investigation has been performed on structural stability, magnetic properties and electronic structure using spin-polarized first-principles calculations. 36 stables functionalized MXenes were screen…
Identifying the existence of specific functional groups in MXenes is a difficult topic that has perplexed researchers for a long time. We show in this paper that in the case of magnetic MXenes, the magneto-transport properties of the material provide an easy solution. One of the fascinating properties that MXenes offer is the realization of intrinsic ferromagnetism which is important for two-dimensional (2D) materials family. The previous reports have only made a few statements on some MXenes citing its usefulness for spintronics related applications. Here, using first-principle calculations w…
The already intriguing electronic and optical properties of the MXene Sc2C family can be further tuned through a wide range of possible functionalizations. Here, by means of Density Functional Theory, we show that the 36 possible elements of the Janus MXT (M:Sc2C, X:O, F, OH, T:C, N, S) family, built by considering the four possible structural models (i) FCC, (ii) HCP , (iii) FCC + HCP, and (iv) HCP + FCC, are all potentially stable. The analysis of their mechanical properties shows the excellent mechanical flexibility of functionalized MXenes (f-MXenes) under large strain, making them more su…
Tuning the Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Double Transition Metal MCrCT$_2$ (M = Ti, Mo) Janus MXenes for Enhanced Spintronics and Nanoelectronics
Dynamic Chemical Changes of Ti3C2Tx MXenes in Halide Perovskite Precursor Environments
Ben Gurion University of the Negev（内盖夫本-古里安大学）；The Alexander Kofkin Faculty of Engineering, Bar Ilan University（巴伊兰大学亚历山大·科夫金工程学院）；Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev（内盖夫本-古里安大学伊尔斯·卡茨纳米科学与技术研究所）；Weizmann Institute of Science（魏茨曼科学研究所）
MXene and its derivatives have attracted considerable attention for potential application in energy storage like batteries and supercapacitors owing to its ultrathin metallic structures. However, the complexity of the ionic and electronic dynamics in MXene based hybrids, which are normally needed for device integration, triggers both challenges and opportunities for its application. In this paper, as a prototype of metallic hybrids of MXene, heterostructures consisting of Ti3C2T2 (T= None, O and F atoms) and metallic MoS2 (1T phase) are investigated. Through density functional theory, we inves…
Two-dimensional (2D) MXenes are a rapid growing family of 2D materials with rich physical and chemical properties where their surface termination plays an essential role. Among the various 2D MXenes, functionalization of the Ti$_{n}$C$_{n-1}$ phase with oxygen (O) atoms makes them attractive for optoelectronic applications due to their optical gap residing in the infrared or visible region. In this manuscript, we theoretically investigate the electronic and optical properties of four different O-atom-functionalized Ti$_{n}$C$_{n-1}$ MXene monolayers using state-of-the-art, first-principles tec…
The structure of the molten salt (LiF)$_{0.465}$(NaF)$_{0.115}$(KF)$_{0.42}$ (FLiNaK), a potential coolant for molten salt nuclear reactors, has been studied by ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and neutron total scattering experiments. We find that the salt retains well-defined short-range structural correlations out to approximately 9 Angstroms at typical reactor operating temperatures. The experimentally determined pair distribution function can be described with quantitative accuracy by the molecular dynamics simulations. These results indicate that the essential ionic interactions …
Prediction of induced magnetism in 2D Ti$_2$C based MXene by manipulating the mixed surface functionalization and metal substitution computed by xTB model Hamiltonian of the DFTB method
Machine-Learned Interatomic Potentials for Predicting Physicochemical Properties of Molten Metal-Salt Systems for Calcium Electrolysis
Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology（斯科尔科沃科学技术学院）；Digital Materials LLC（数字材料有限责任公司）；Institute of High Temperature Electrochemistry, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences（俄罗斯科学院乌拉尔分院高温电化学研究所）
MXenes are 2D transition metal carbides with high potential for overcoming limitations of conventional two-dimensional electronics. In this context, various MXenes have shown magnetic properties suitable for applications in spintronics, yet the number of MXenes reported so far is far smaller than their parental MAX phases. Therefore, we have studied the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of bimetallic and vacancy-ordered MXenes derived from a new $(V_{2/3}Zr_{1/3})_2AlC $ MAX phase to assess whether MXene exfoliation would return stable magnetic materials. In particular, we have in…
Integrating moment tensor potentials with finite-element modeling for heat transfer prediction in FLiBe-based molten salt systems
Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology（斯科尔科沃科学技术学院）；Digital Materials LLC（数字材料有限责任公司）；Institute of High Temperature Electrochemistry, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences（俄罗斯科学院乌拉尔分院高温电化学研究所）；Ural Federal University（乌拉尔联邦大学）；N.A. Dollezhal Research and Development Institute of Power Engineering JSC（N.A.多列扎尔动力工程研发股份公司研究院）
MXenes are technologically interesting 2D materials that show potential in numerous applications. The properties of the MXenes depend at large extent on the selection of elements that build the 2D MX-layer. Another key parameter for tuning the attractive material properties is the species that terminate the surfaces of the MX-layers. Although being an important parameter, experimental studies on the bonding between the MX-layers and the termination species are few and thus an interesting subject of investigation. Here we show that the termination species fluorine (F) bonds to the Ti3C2-surface…
Na2Ti3O7, as one of the most potential anode electrode materials, is expected to play an important role in various fields. In this work, we synthesized uniform hollow octahedral Na2Ti3O7 particles through directly sintering a kind of precursors obtained by (NH4)2TiF6 and NH4OH in the presence of sodium-containing cationic polyacrylamide. XRD, SEM, TEM were used to characterize precursors and Na2Ti3O7 particles. In addition, the synthesis conditions and the formation mechanism were discussed in detail. This single-source molten salt method is flexible, efficient and controllable. Moreover, the …
Corrosion of Si, C, and SiC in fluoride salt has been studied by ab initio molecular dynamics. The standard dissolution potential for Si is found to be smaller (easier to corrode) than that of C. The dissolved Si attracts F- ions and forms SiF62-, whereas the dissolved C species forms neutral CF4 molecules. A swapping mechanism is identified for the initial corrosion stage, where Si first comes to the surface and then is dissolved, leaving behind chain- and ring-like C structures. A strategy to suppress SiC corrosion is also discussed based on Be doping, including avoiding Be2C formation.
The electronic properties of transition-metal oxides with highly correlated electrons are of central importance in modern condensed matter physics and chemistry, both for their fundamental scientific interest, and for their potential for advanced electronic applications. The design of materials with tailored properties has been, however, restricted by the limited understanding of their structure-property relationships, which are particularly complex in the proximity of the regime where localized electrons become gradually mobile. RENiO3 perovskites, characterized by the presence of spontaneous…
