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MAX Phases and MXenes: Synthesis and Applications

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2018) | Viewed by 40881

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. It-Meng (Jim) Low

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Guest Editor

Department of Applied Physics, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
Interests: radiation shielding materials; advanced ceramics; nanomaterials; photocatalytic materials; novel materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Aiguo Zhou

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Guest Editor

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, 2001 Century Avenue, Jiaozuo 454003, Henan, China
Interests: MAX phases; MXenes; structral ceramics; porous materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

MAX phases are novel structural and functional ceramics with a layered structure. MXenes are 2D materials with graphene-like structures made by exfoliating MAX phases. Both MAX phases and MXenes have unparalleled properties for demanding and exotic applications in the 21st century. MAX phases represent a new class of solids that combine some of best attributes of metals and ceramics that result in fascinating properties. As such, MAX phases are creep, fatigue, fracture, thermal-shock and corrosion resistant, in addition to displaying good machinability, high electrical conductivity and ultra-low friction. These ceramics can find applications in nuclear research, metallurgy, mining and spaceflight fields by virtue of their unique properties. Similarly, MXenes are endowed with the rare combination of good electronic conductivity and hydrophilicity which render them particular suitable for a wide range of potential applications, such as energy storage, polymer nanocomposite fillers, water purification, transparent optical conductive coatings, electromagnetic shielding/absorption, and electronic devices.

It is my pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript for this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews that cover all aspects (i.e., synthesis-structure-property relationships, applications and future directions) of MAX phases, MXenes, and their composite materials are all welcome.

Prof. It-Meng (Jim) Low
Prof. Aiguo Zhou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

MAX phases
MXenes
Thermal conductivity
Thermal shock resistance
Damage tolerance
Machinable
2-D layered material
Energy storage
Intercalation
Delamination

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 4174 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Oxygen Concentration during MAX Phases (Ti₃AlC₂) Preparation on the α-Al₂O₃ Microparticles Content and Specific Surface Area of Multilayered MXenes (Ti₃C₂T_x)

by Błażej Scheibe, Vojtech Kupka, Barbara Peplińska, Marcin Jarek and Krzysztof Tadyszak

Materials 2019, 12(3), 353; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12030353 - 23 Jan 2019

Cited by 49 | Viewed by 5280

Abstract

The high specific surface area of multilayered two-dimensional carbides called MXenes, is a critical feature for their use in energy storage systems, especially supercapacitors. Therefore, the possibility of controlling this parameter is highly desired. This work presents the results of the influence of oxygen concentration during Ti₃AlC₂ ternary carbide—MAX phase preparation on α-Al₂O₃ particles content, and thus the porosity and specific surface area of the Ti₃C₂T_x MXenes. In this research, three different Ti₃AlC₂ samples were prepared, based on TiC-Ti₂AlC powder mixtures, which were conditioned and cold pressed in argon, air and oxygen filled glove-boxes. As-prepared pellets were sintered, ground, sieved and etched using hydrofluoric acid. The MAX phase and MXene samples were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The influence of the oxygen concentration on the MXene structures was confirmed by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area determination. It was found that oxygen concentration plays an important role in the formation of α-Al₂O₃ inclusions between MAX phase layers. The mortar grinding of the MAX phase powder and subsequent MXene fabrication process released the α-Al₂O₃ impurities, which led to the formation of the porous MXene structures. However, some non-porous α-Al₂O₃ particles remained inside the MXene structures. Those particles were found ingrown and irremovable, and thus decreased the MXene specific surface area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue MAX Phases and MXenes: Synthesis and Applications)

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11 pages, 2008 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Three-Dimensional Porous Ti₃C₂T_x-NiO Composite Electrodes with Enhanced Electrochemical Performance for Supercapacitors

by Kaicheng Zhang, Guobing Ying, Lu Liu, Fengchen Ma, Lin Su, Chen Zhang, Donghai Wu, Xiang Wang and Ying Zhou

Materials 2019, 12(1), 188; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12010188 - 08 Jan 2019

Cited by 46 | Viewed by 5450

Abstract

Ti₃C₂T_x and Ti₃C₂T_x-NiO composites with three-dimensional (3D) porous networks were successfully fabricated via vacuum freeze-drying. The microstructure, absorption, and electrochemical properties of the developed composites were investigated. Nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles could be evenly distributed on the three-dimensional network of three-dimensional Ti₃C₂T_x using solution processing. When employed as electrochemical capacitor electrodes in 1 M environmentally friendly sodium sulfate, Na₂SO₄, solution, the three-dimensional porous Ti₃C₂T_x-NiO composite electrodes exhibited considerable volume specific capacitance as compared to three-dimensional porous Ti₃C₂T_x. The three-dimensional porous Ti₃C₂T_x-NiO composite delivered a remarkable cycling performance with a capacitance retention of up to 114% over 2500 cycles. The growth trend of the capacitance with NiO content shows that nickel oxide plays a crucial role in the composite electrodes. These results present a roadmap for the development of convenient and economical supercapacitors in consideration with the possibilities of morphological control and the extensibility of the process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue MAX Phases and MXenes: Synthesis and Applications)

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7 pages, 3397 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Facile Method to Construct MXene/CuO Nanocomposite with Enhanced Catalytic Activity of CuO on Thermal Decomposition of Ammonium Perchlorate

by Haifeng Zhao, Jing Lv, Junshan Sang, Li Zhu, Peng Zheng, Greg. L. Andrew and Linghua Tan

Materials 2018, 11(12), 2457; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11122457 - 04 Dec 2018

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 4923

Abstract

In this work, a mixing-calcination method was developed to facilely construct MXene/CuO nanocomposite. CuO and MXene were first dispersed in ethanol with sufficient mixing. After solvent evaporation, the dried mixture was calcinated under argon to produce a MXene/CuO nanocomposite. As characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), CuO nanoparticles (60–100 nm) were uniformly distributed on the surface and edge of MXene nanosheets. Furthermore, as evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), the high-temperature decomposition (HTD) temperature decrease of ammonium perchlorate (AP) upon addition of 1 wt% CuO (hybridized with 1 wt% MXene) was comparable with that of 2 wt% CuO alone, suggesting an enhanced catalytic activity of CuO on thermal decomposition of AP upon hybridization with MXene nanosheets. This strategy could be further applied to construct other MXene/transition metal oxide (MXene/TMO) composites with improved performance for various applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue MAX Phases and MXenes: Synthesis and Applications)

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Graphical abstract

10 pages, 2051 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Synthesis Process and Thermal Stability of V₂C MXene

by Meng Wu, Bingxin Wang, Qianku Hu, Libo Wang and Aiguo Zhou

Materials 2018, 11(11), 2112; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11112112 - 27 Oct 2018

Cited by 162 | Viewed by 13474

Abstract

The effect of etching solution on the synthesis process of two-dimensional vanadium carbide (V₂C MXene) was researched. Three etching solutions were used to etch ternary carbide V₂AlC at 90 °C. The three solutions were: lithium fluoride + hydrochloric acid (LiF + HCl), sodium fluoride + hydrochloric acid (LiF + HCl), and potassium fluoride + hydrochloric acid (KF + HCl). It was found that only NaF + HCl solution was effective for synthesizing highly pure V₂C MXene. The existence of sodium (Na⁺) and chloridion (Cl⁻) in etching solution was essential for the synthesis. The thermal stability of the as-prepared V₂C MXene in argon or air was studied. From thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis, V₂C MXene was found to be stable in argon atmosphere at a temperature of up to 375 °C. As the temperature increased, V₂C MXene was gradually oxidized to form nanoparticles composed of vanadium trioxide (V₂O₃) and a part of V₂C MXene was broken and transformed to vanadium carbide (V₈C₇) at 1000 °C. In air atmosphere, V₂C MXene was stable at 150 °C. At 1000 °C, V₂C MXene was oxidized to form vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue MAX Phases and MXenes: Synthesis and Applications)

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9 pages, 3857 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Chemical Stability of Ti₃C₂ MXene with Al in the Temperature Range 500–700 °C

by Jing Zhang, Shibo Li, Shujun Hu and Yang Zhou

Materials 2018, 11(10), 1979; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11101979 - 15 Oct 2018

Cited by 36 | Viewed by 5520

Abstract

Ti₃C₂T_x MXene, a new 2D nanosheet material, is expected to be an attractive reinforcement of metal matrix composites because its surfaces are terminated with Ti and/or functional groups of –OH, –O, and –F which improve its wettability with metals. Thus, new Ti₃C₂T_x/Al composites with strong interfaces and novel properties are desired. To prepare such composites, the chemical stability of Ti₃C₂T_x with Al at high temperatures should be investigated. This work first reports on the chemical stability of Ti₃C₂T_x MXene with Al in the temperature range 500–700 °C. Ti₃C₂T_x is thermally stable with Al at temperatures below 700 °C, but it reacts with Al to form Al₃Ti and TiC at temperatures above 700 °C. The chemical stability and microstructure of the Ti₃C₂T_x/Al samples were investigated by differential scanning calorimeter, X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue MAX Phases and MXenes: Synthesis and Applications)

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Review

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12 pages, 3187 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

An Overview of Parameters Controlling the Decomposition and Degradation of Ti-Based M_n₊₁AX_n Phases

by It-Meng Low

Materials 2019, 12(3), 473; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12030473 - 04 Feb 2019

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3286

Abstract

A critical overview of the various parameters, such as annealing atmospheres, pore microstructures, and pore sizes, that are critical in controlling the decomposition kinetics of Ti-based MAX phases is given in this paper. Ti-based MAX phases tend to decompose readily above 1400 °C during vacuum annealing to binary carbide (e.g., TiC_x) or binary nitride (e.g., TiN_x), primarily through the sublimation of A elements such as Al or Si, forming in a porous MX_x surface layer. Arrhenius Avrami equations were used to determine the activation energy of phase decomposition and to model the kinetics of isothermal phase decomposition. Ironically, the understanding of phase decomposition via exfoliating or selective de-intercalation by chemical etching formed the catalyst for the sensational discovery of Mxenes in 2011. Other controlling parameters that also promote decomposition or degradation as reported in the literature are also briefly reviewed and these include effects of pressure and ion irradiations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue MAX Phases and MXenes: Synthesis and Applications)

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