COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING FREE-STANDING TWO-DIMENSIONAL NANOCRYSTALS

Abstract

The present invention is directed to methods of transferring urea from an aqueous solution comprising urea to a MXene composition, the method comprising contacting the aqueous solution comprising urea with the MXene composition for a time sufficient to form an intercalated MXene composition comprising urea.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is directed to compositions comprising free standing two dimensional crystalline solids, and methods of making the same.

BACKGROUND

Typically, two-dimensional, 2-D, free-standing crystals exhibit properties that differ from those of their three-dimensional, 3-D, counterparts. Currently, however, there are relatively few materials which can be described as 2-D, atomically-scaled layered solids. Clearly the most studied freestanding 2-D material is graphene, but other materials include hexagonal BN, certain transition metal oxides, hydroxides, and silicates, including clays, S₂N, MoS₂ and WS₂ are also known. Currently, the number of non-oxide materials that have been exfoliated is limited to two fairly small groups, viz. hexagonal, van der Waals bonded structures (e.g. graphene and BN) and layered metal chalcogenides (e.g. MoS₂, WS₂, etc.).

Although graphene has attracted more attention than all other 2-D materials together, its simple chemistry and the weak van der Waals bonding between layers in multi-layer structures limit its use. Given the properties of graphene for applications ranging from composite reinforcement to electronics, there is interest in other new materials which may also be described as 2-D, atomically-scaled layered solids.

SUMMARY

This invention is directed to compositions comprising free standing and stacked assemblies of two dimensional crystalline solids, and methods of making the same.

Various embodiments of this invention provide compositions comprising at least one layer having first and second surfaces, each layer comprising:

a substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells,

each crystal cell having an empirical formula of M_n+1X_n, such that each X is positioned within an octahedral array of M,

wherein M is at least one Group IIIB, IVB, VB, or VIB metal;

wherein each X is C and/or N (i.e., stoichiometrically X=C_xN_y, including where x+y=1); and

n=1, 2, or 3.

Various embodiments provide for compositions composed of individual or a plurality of such layers.

Other embodiments provide that at least one of the surfaces is coated with a coating comprising alkoxide, carboxylate, halide, hydroxide, oxide, sub-oxide, nitride, sub-nitride, sulfide, thiol, or a combination thereof.

Still further embodiments provide polymer composites comprising an organic polymer and at least one composition described in the preceding paragraphs.

Certain embodiments provide for at least one stacked assembly of at least two layers having first and second surfaces, each layer comprising:

a substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells,

each crystal cell having the empirical formula of M_n+1X_n, such that each X is positioned within an octahedral array of M;

wherein M is a Group IIIB, IVB, VB, or VIB metal;

each X is C and/or N (i.e., stoichiometrically X=C_xN_y, including where x+y=1); and

n=1, 2, or 3;

wherein the layers are characterized as having an average surface area and interlayer distance.

In other embodiments, at least one of the surfaces of the layers within a stacked assembly has bound thereto alkoxide, carboxylate, halide, hydroxide, oxide, sub-oxide, nitride, sub-nitride, sulfide, thiol, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the stacked assemblies described in the preceding paragraphs are capable of, or have atoms or ions, that are intercalated between at least some of the layers. In other embodiments, these atoms or ions are lithium. In still other embodiments, these structures are part of an energy storing device or a battery.

This invention also describes methods of preparing compositions comprising: removing substantially all of the A atoms from a MAX-phase composition having an empirical formula of M_n+1AX_n.

wherein M is at least one Group IIIB, IVB, VB, or VIB metal,

wherein A is an A-group element;

each X is C and/or N (i.e., stoichiometrically X=C_xN_y, including where x+y=1); and

n=1, 2, or 3,

thereby providing a composition comprising at least one layer having a first and second surface, each layer comprising a substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following figures are presented as illustrative examples, and should not be considered to limit the scope of the invention in any way. Except where otherwise noted, the scales of the figures may be exaggerated for illustrative purposes.

FIG. 1A-C illustrate indicative crystal structures of the MAX phases in which the transitional metal carbide or nitride (M_n+1X_n) layers are interleaved with layers of pure A-group element. FIG. 1A illustrates the configuration of the M₂X framework within the 211 class of MAX phase compounds, wherein every third layer is A-group. FIG. 1B illustrates the configuration of the M₃X₂ framework within the 312 class of MAX phase compounds, wherein every fourth layer is A-group. FIG. 1C illustrates the configuration of the M₄X₃ framework within the 413 class of MAX phase compounds, wherein every fifth layer is A-group.

FIG. 2A-B provide 3-dimensional (FIG. 2A) and 2-dimensional (FIG. 2B) representations of the crystal structure of the 312 class of compounds

FIGS. 3A-C illustrate a schematic representation of the exfoliation process for Ti₃AlC₂. FIG. 3A provides the Ti₃AlC₂ structure. FIG. B diagrammatically illustrates a structure where the Al atoms have been replaced by OH after reaction with HF. FIG. C illustrates a structure resulting from the subsequent breakage of the hydrogen bonds and separation of nano-sheets after sonication in methanol.

FIGS. 4A-E provide analytical date of the Ti₃AlC₂ before and after exfoliation. FIG. 4A provides an XRD pattern for Ti₃AlC₂ before any treatment, simulated XRD patterns of Ti₃C₂F₂ and Ti₃C₂(OH)₂, measured XRD patterns of Ti₃AlC₂ after HF treatment, and exfoliated nanosheets produced by sonication. FIG. 4B shows Raman spectra of Ti₃AlC₂ before and after HF treatment. FIG. 4C provides XPS spectra of Ti₃AlC₂ before and after HF treatment. FIG. 4D provides an SEM image of a sample after HF treatment. FIG. 4E shows a cold processed 25 mm disk of etched and exfoliated material after HF treatment.

FIGS. 5A-G show micrographs of exfoliated MXene nanosheets. FIG. 5A shows TEM micrographs of exfoliated 2-D nanosheets of Ti—C—O—F. FIG. 5B shows TEM micrographs of exfoliated 2-D nanosheets; inset selected area diffraction, SAD, shows hexagonal basal plane. FIG. 5C shows TEM micrographs of single and double layer MXene sheets. FIG. 5D shows an HRTEM image showing the separation of individual sheets after sonication. FIG. 5E shows an HRTEM image of bilayer Ti₃C₂(OH)_xF_y (alternatively, Ti₃C₂T_s). FIG. 5F shows an atomistic model of the layer structure shown in FIG. 5E. FIG. 5G shows a calculated band structure of single layer MXene with —OH and —F surface termination and no termination (Ti₃C₂), showing a change from metal to semiconductor as a result of change in the surface chemistry.

FIGS. 6A-F provide TEM images and simulated structures of multi-layer MXene. FIG. 6A provides TEM micrographs for stacked layers of Ti—C—O—F. Those are similar to multilayer graphene or exfoliated graphite that finds use in electrochemical storage. FIG. 6B provides TEM micrographs for the same stacked layers FIG. 6A but at a higher magnification. FIG. 6C provides a model of the Li-intercalated structure of Ti₃C₂ (Ti₃C₂Li₂). FIG. 6D provides TEM micrographs for a conical scroll of about 20 nm in outer diameter. FIG. 6E provides a cross sectional TEM image of a scroll with inner radius less than 20 nm. FIG. 6F provides a schematic representation of an MXene scroll (OH-terminated).

FIG. 7 provides X-ray diffraction patterns of (V_1/2Cr_1/2)₃AlC₂ before and after exfoliation. From the bottom up, FIG. 7 provides a simulated XRD pattern for (V_1/2Cr_1/2)₃AlC₂ as determined by CrystalMaker software, and measured XRD patterns for powdered (V_1/2Cr_1/2)₃AlC₂ before any treatment, (V_1/2Cr_1/2)₃AlC₂ after HF treatment, (V_1/2Cr_1/2)₃AlC₂ after HF treatment and cold pressing (CP), and (V_1/2Cr_1/2)₃AlC₂ before any treatment or cold pressing. The peak at 2θ=7.3° appears only after HF treatment and cold pressing. By analogy to the results shown for Ti₃AlC₂, this peak is attributed to (V_1/2Cr_1/2)₃C₂. See Example 5.

FIG. 8 shows SEM micrographs and XRD spectra of chemically exfoliated Ti₂AlC.

FIG. 9 shows a secondary electron SEM micrograph for TiNbAlC after HF treatment and XRD patterns before and after HF treatment at room temperature for TiNbAlC (50% HF 28 hrs) (inset is the XRD for (V_0.5Cr_0.5)AlC₂; 50% HF 65 hrs, and cold pressed zoomed-in on the (0002) peak).

FIG. 10 shows SEM micrographs and XRD spectra of chemically exfoliated Ti₄AlC₃ (50% HF 72 hours at RT).

FIG. 11 shows SEM micrographs and XRD spectra of chemically exfoliated Ti₃AlCN (30% HF 18 hours at RT).

FIG. 12 shows additional SEM micrographs of chemically exfoliated Ti₃AlCN (30% HF 18 hours at RT).

FIG. 13 shows additional SEM micrographs of chemically exfoliated Ti₃AlCN (30% HF 18 hours at RT).

FIG. 14 shows SEM micrographs and XRD spectra of chemically exfoliated (V_1/2Cr_1/2)₃AlC₂ (50% HF 69 hours at RT).

FIG. 15 shows additional SEM micrographs of chemically exfoliated (V_1/2Cr_1/2)₃AlC₂ (50% HF 69 hours at RT).

FIG. 16 shows SEM micrographs of chemically exfoliated (V_1/2Cr_1/2)₃AlC₂ (50% HF 69 hours at RT).

FIG. 17 shows SEM micrographs and EDX analytical results of chemically exfoliated Ti₃AlC₂ (10% HF 2 hours at 65° C.).

FIG. 18A-B shows TEM micrographs of chemically exfoliated Ti₃AlC₂ (50% HF 22 hours at RT). FIG. 18B is an enlargement of bottom micrograph of FIG. 18A.

FIG. 19 shows XRD spectra for samples of chemically exfoliated Ti₃AlC₂, generated as a function of temperature in 50 wt % HF for 2 hours.

FIG. 20 shows XRD spectra for samples of chemically exfoliated Ti₃AlC₂, generated as a function of time in 50 wt % HF at room temperature.

FIG. 21 shows resistivity for various chemically exfoliated Ti₃AlC₂, generated as a function of time, in 50% HF at ambient temperature.

FIG. 22A-B shows XRD spectra for samples of chemically exfoliated Ti₃AlC₂, generated as a function of initial particle size of the MAX phase precursor. The materials were held for 2 hours in 50 wt % HF at room temperature

FIG. 23 shows XRD spectra forming the basis for a calibration curve of chemically exfoliated Ti₃AlC₂, generated as a function of composition.

FIG. 24 shows TGA graphs for two samples of Ti₃C₂(OH)_x(F)₅, (alternatively, Ti₃C₂T_s) prepared at two different drying conditions

FIG. 25 shows exemplary experimental parameters for tests to evaluate the electrochemical exfoliation of MAX phase materials; see Example 9.

FIG. 26 shows a series of Raman spectra for samples obtained in tests described in Example 8. Curves (a) and (b) are the spectra of the exfoliated material obtained after the electrochemical aniodic polarization treatment of the Ti₂SnC MAX phase in 12 M HCl. Curves (c) through (e) are the initial spectra of Ti₂SnC.

FIG. 27A shows the XRD data of the exfoliated material obtained after the electrochemical aniodic polarization treatment of the Ti₂SnC MAX phase in 12 M HCl. FIG. 27B shows the XRD data of the initial Ti₂SnC material. FIG. 27C shows the XRD data of the Ti₂SnC material treated in Ar as 1250° C. FIG. 27D is a simulated XRD pattern for the Ti₂SnC system. Note: the asterisks and crossed boxes mark the characteristic peak positions of Si_pc and TiC, respectively.

FIG. 28A-C show SEM and EDX/EDS data of the exfoliated material obtained after the electrochemical aniodic polarization treatment of the Ti₂SnC MAX phase in 12 M HCl. The circles represent the approximate area subjected to EDX/EDS analysis.

FIG. 29A-B show the results of electrochemical testing described in Example 10. The labels “Exfoliated” and “Not Exfoliated” refer to the samples used in the testing corresponding to exfoliated and not exfoliated particles of Ti₃AlC₂.

FIG. 30A shows an SEM image of exfoliated Ti₂CO_x produced by HF treatment of Ti₂AlC, and FIG. 30B shows N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherms of the material shown in FIG. 30A, circles refer to adsorption and squares refer to desorption. The calculated SSA is approximately 23 m²·g⁻¹.

FIG. 31A shows cyclic voltammetry curves of exfoliated Ti₂C (alternatively, Ti₂CT_s) at a constant scan rate of 0.2 mV·s⁻¹. The solid arrows refer to main peaks positions during lithiation and delithiation cycles. FIG. 31B provides the galvanostatic charge/discharge curves at a C/10 rate. FIG. 31C shows specific lithiation (circles in the figure) and delithiation (squares in the figure) capacities (per mass of active material) vs. cycle number at different rates. The inset in FIG. 31C is a zoom of the first 20 cycles.

FIG. 32 shows a schematic illustration of the intercalation of cations between Ti₃C₂T_s layers. The interlayer spacing d increases after ion intercalation.

FIG. 33A-C shows X-ray diffractions patterns of various salts: FIG. 33A for compounds which form basic solutions when dissolved in water, FIG. 33B for sulfate salts which form nearly neutral solutions when dissolved in water and, FIG. 33C for Na-salts with different organic anions. In all figures the location of the Ti₃C₂T_s peak before immersion in the salt solutions is depicted by dashed vertical line. In all cases, the c-lattice parameter increases by the values shown and ranged from a high of 5 Å to a low of 0.7 Å.

FIG. 34 shows a schematic of the electrochemical testing set-up described in Example 13.2: 3-electrode Swagelok cell, with multilayer Ti₃C₂T_s as working electrode (cubic elements).

FIG. 35A-C shows electrochemical performance of Ti₃C₂T_s-based supercapacitors in various aqueous electrolytes. FIG. 35A shows profiles in NaOH—, KOH-, and LiOH-containing solutions at 20 mV/s. FIG. 35B shows the CV profiles in K₂SO₄, Al₂(SO₄)₃, and Al(NO₃)₃ solutions at 20 mV/s. FIG. 35C provides a summary of rate performances in different aqueous electrolytes.

FIG. 36A-B shows Nyquist plot of the Ti₃C₂T_s electrodes in NaOH, KOH, LiOH (FIG. 36A) and K₂SO₄, Al₂(SO₄)₃, and Al(NO₃)₃ solutions (FIG. 36B).

FIG. 37 shows cyclic voltammetry sweeps of the Ti₃C₂T_s in different potential windows (can rate 10 mV/s) in 1 M KOH.

FIG. 38 shows cyclic voltammograms of Ti₃C₂T_s in 1 M MgSO₄ electrolyte collected after 0 h, 1 h, 6 h, 18 h, and 48 h of testing. Inset is a schematic illustration of the electrochemically induced cationintercalation between the layers of MXene

FIG. 39A-B shows cyclic voltammograms of Ti₃C₂T_s in 1 M MgSO₄ electrolyte collected during different cycling regimes: (1) chemical intercalation, screening cycling in-between; (2) continuous cycling at 5 mVs; holding at −0.7 V, screening cycling in-between; collected after 1.5 hours (FIG. 39A) and 7.5 hours (FIG. 39B) from the beginning of the experiment.

FIG. 40A-B shows results of electrochemical in situ x-ray diffraction study of multilayer exfoliated Ti₃C₂T_s. FIG. 40A shows Ti₃C₂T_s in 1 M KOH solution; FIG. 40B shows Ti₃C₂T_s in 1 M MgSO₄ solution. Vertical dashed lines indicate the original position of the (0002) peak of the Ti₃C₂T_s electrodes before mounting in a cell. Inclined arrows show the direction of the (0002) peak shift. Insets illustrate cycling direction and concomitant changes in the c lattice parameters during cycling. In both KOH and MgSO₄ electrolytes, shrinkage during cathodic polarization was observed.

FIG. 41 shows results of electrochemical in-situ X-ray diffraction study of Ti₃C₂T_s in 3 M sodium acetate. Arrows indicate the direction of the (0002) peak shift. See Example 13.2.

FIG. 42A shows cyclic voltammetry data of Ti₃C₂T_s paper in KOH electrolyte. FIG. 42B shows EIS data in KOH for Ti₃C₂T_s electrode (KOH, solid symbols) and Ti₃C₂T_s paper (p-KOH). FIG. 42C shows rate performance of the Ti₃C₂T_s paper (open symbols) versus multilayer exfoliated Ti₃C₂T_s electrode (solid symbols) in KOH-, MgSO₄-, and NaOAc-containing electrolytes. FIG. 42D shows capacitance retention test of Ti₃C₂T_s paper in KOH. Inset: Galvanostatic cycling data collected at 1 A/g.

FIG. 43A-C shows data for electrochemistry of Ti₃C₂T_s paper. FIG. 43A shows a cyclic voltammogram in 1M MgSO₄ electrolyte. Capacitance retention test of MXene paper in 1 M MgSO₄ are provided in FIG. 43B and 3 M NaOAc (FIG. 43C) Insets in FIG. 43B and FIG. 43C show results of galvanostatic cycling data of Ti₃C₂T_s paper in MgSO₄ and NaOAc, respectively.

FIG. 44A-B shows Ti₃C₂T_s paper cell performance in K₂SO₄. FIG. 44A shows cyclic voltammetry data at different scan rates; FIG. 44B shows capacitance retention test. Inset: gavlanostatic cycling data collected at 1 A/g.

FIG. 45A-C shows evidence of MXene intercalation. FIG. 45A shows a schematic representation of the synthesis and intercalation of MXene. To produce MXene, the Al layer was removed from the corresponding MAX phase in aqueous HF solution resulting in OH terminated MXene layers. Then MXene was treated with an intercalant (urea is shown here as an example) yielding MXene intercalation compound. FIG. 45B, XRD patterns of MXene: (i) as-received, before any treatment, (ii) after HM treatment, and then washed with ethanol, and (iii) after HM in DMF treatment, washed with DMF, dried at different conditions: a whole range diffractograms. FIG. 45C is an expanded image of FIG. 45B but zoomed on the (002) peak in 5-12° 20 range. Intercalation was performed at 80° C. for 24 h. The MXene powder used for intercalation was dried at 100° C. for 22 h. See Example 14.

FIG. 46 shows XRD patterns of MXene: (i) before any treatment, (ii) after HM treatment in DMF at 80° C., (iii) after HM treatment at 80° C.; and after HM treatment in DMF at 80° C. (iv) and at relevant temperature (v). Patterns i-iii: initial MXene was dried at 100° C. for 22 h before intercalation. Patterns iv-v: as-received wet MXene was used as an initial material. The resulting powders were washed with DMF after intercalation. See Example 14.

FIG. 47A-B shows XPS spectra of MXene intercalated with HM at 80° C. for 24 h (FIG. 47A) and with HM and DMF at 80° C. for 24 h (FIG. 47B). Both insets showed N1s peaks for corresponding samples.

FIG. 48A-F shows images from electron microscopy analyses, including SEM images before (FIG. 48A) and after (FIG. 48B) intercalation of MXene with HM and DMF (24 h at 80° C.), respectively; TEM (FIG. 48C) and HRTEM (FIG. 48D) images with corresponding SAED pattern as inset of MXene before intercalation; TEM image (FIG. 48E) and SAED pattern (FIG. 48F) of intercalated MXene.

FIG. 49 shows XRD patterns of MXene: (i) before any treatment, (ii) after DMSO treatment taken 30 min and 3 weeks after drying in a desiccator at RT, (iii) after urea treatment.

FIG. 50 shows XRD patterns of Ti₃CN-based MXene (i) before and after HM treatment and TiNbC-based MXene (i) before and after HM treatment.

FIG. 51A-B shows schematic diagram of steps used to produce epitaxial MXene films. FIG. 51A is a cartoon representation of magnetron sputtering of Ti, Al and C forming a few-nanometer TiC incubation layer on a 0001 sapphire substrate, followed by the deposition of Ti₃AlC₂; FIG. 51B shows a STEM image of the first two Ti₃C₂T_s layers after applying Wiener filter; scale bar is equal to 1 nm.

FIG. 52A-E provide spectra for phase and chemical analysis: FIG. 52A provides XRD patterns of as-deposited—60 nm nominal thickness—Ti₃AlC₂ thin films (I), Ti₃C₂T_s after etching in 50% HF for 2 h 40 min (II), and Ti₃C₂T_s-IC after etching in 1M NH₄HF₂ for 11 h (III). XPS spectra of, Ti 2p (FIG. 52B), C is (FIG. 52C), and Al 2p (FIG. 52D), for Ti₃AlC₂, Ti₃C₂T_s and Ti₃C₂T_s-IC thin films, respectively. The vertical lines in b and c indicates the positions of Ti (3/2p and 1/2p) and C (1s) binding energies in TiC, respectively. FIG. 52E provides deconvolution of high resolution XPS spectra for N is region for Ti₃C₂T_s-IC, best fitted by symmetric Gaussian-Lorentzian curves resting on a Shirley background. The two components correspond to (NH₄⁺¹) and (NH₃).

FIG. 53A-F shows cross-sectional STEM images of Ti₃AlC₂ films before and after etching. STEM images of Ti₃AlC₂ (FIG. 53A), Ti₃C₂T_s, (FIG. 53B) and Ti₃C₂T_s-IC films (FIG. 53C) (60 nm nominal thickness) grown on a sapphire substrate with a TiC incubation layer. Insets show SAED of the film and the substrate. The subscripts A and T correspond to Al₂O₃ and Ti₃AlC₂, respectively. High-resolution STEM images of Ti₃AlC₂ (FIG. 53D), Ti₃C₂T_s (FIG. 53E), and Ti₃C₂T_s-IC films (FIG. 53F), along the [1120] zone axis. Scale bars for low resolution (FIG. 55A-C), and high-resolution (FIG. 53D-F) images correspond to 5 nm and 1 nm, respectively.

FIG. 54A-B illustrate the optical behavior of non-etched and etched Ti₃AlC₂ thin films; FIG. 54A provides transmittance spectra and visual image (on right) for, (I) Ti₃AlC₂, (II) Ti₃C₂T_s and (III) Ti₃C₂T_s-IC films of 15 nm nominal thickness. The film are ca. 1×1 cm² in area; FIG. 54B provides light absorbance at wavelengths of 240 and 800 nm vs. thickness of Ti₃C₂T_s and Ti₃C₂T_s-IC films.

FIG. 55A-C shows the dependence of the electrical behavior of Ti₃AlC₂, Ti₃C₂T_s and Ti₃C₂T_s-IC films on temperature and magnetic field. FIG. 55A provides data for resistivity vs. temperature for Ti₃AlC₂, Ti₃C₂T_s and Ti₃C₂-IC films of 20 nm nominal thickness. FIG. 55B provides data for resistivity vs. temperature for Ti₃C₂T_s of 20 nm nominal thickness. Inset shows fitting of resistivity, over the temperature range of 2 to 74 K, to the weak localization model (ρ˜ln T) and, FIG. 55C compares normalized magnetoresistance curves for Ti₃C₂T_s of 28 nm nominal thickness at various temperatures ranging from 2.5 to 200 K. RH=0 refers to the film resistance in the absence of applied magnetic field.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying Figures and Examples, which form a part of this disclosure. It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific products, methods, conditions or parameters described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting of any claimed invention. Similarly, unless specifically otherwise stated, any description as to a possible mechanism or mode of action or reason for improvement is meant to be illustrative only, and the invention herein is not to be constrained by the correctness or incorrectness of any such suggested mechanism or mode of action or reason for improvement. Throughout this text, it is recognized that the descriptions refer both to compositions and to the articles and devices derived therefrom, as well as the methods of manufacture and use.

In the present disclosure the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural reference, and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to “a material” is a reference to at least one of such materials and equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art, and so forth.

When values are expressed as approximations by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. In general, use of the term “about” indicates approximations that can vary depending on the desired properties sought to be obtained by the disclosed subject matter and is to be interpreted in the specific context in which it is used, based on its function, and the person skilled in the art will be able to interpret it as such. In some cases, the number of significant figures used for a particular value may be one non-limiting method of determining the extent of the word “about.” In other cases, the gradations used in a series of values may be used to determine the intended range available to the term “about” for each value. Where present, all ranges are inclusive and combinable. That is, reference to values stated in ranges includes each and every value within that range.

It is to be appreciated that certain features of the invention which are, for clarity, described herein in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention that are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any subcombination. Finally, while an embodiment may be described as part of a series of steps or part of a more general composition or structure, each said step may also be considered an independent embodiment in itself.

Various embodiments of this invention provide for crystalline compositions comprising at least one layer having first and second surfaces, each layer comprising a substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells; each crystal cell is an ordered array of atoms having an empirical formula of M_n+1X_n, such that each X is positioned within an octahedral array of M; wherein M is at least one Group IIIB, IVB, VB, or VIB metal; wherein each X is C or N (i.e., stoichiometrically X=C_xN_y, including where x+y=1); and n=1, 2, or 3. In some embodiments, these compositions comprise a plurality of layers. Other embodiments provide for stacked assemblies of such layers. Collectively, such compositions are referred to herein as “MXene,” “MXene compositions,” or “MXene materials.” Additionally, these terms “MXene,” “MXene compositions,” or “MXene materials” also refer to those compositions derived by the chemical exfoliation of MAX phase materials, whether these compositions are present as free-standing 2-dimensional or stacked assemblies (as described further below). FIG. 1 provides a representation of the crystal cells of various M_n+1X_n (where n=1, 2, or 3) frameworks, presented however, in the context of corresponding MAX-phase materials (see also below). In various embodiments, each X is positioned within an octahedral array of M.

Analogous to other so-called two-dimensional, atomically-scaled layered solid materials, such as graphene or hexagonal BN, these MXene crystalline compositions may be free-standing or be present in stacked compositions. As used herein, the term “free standing” refers to individual layers wherein the adjacent composite crystal layers are not bonded to one another by covalent bonds or connected by metal-lattice bonds, but may be joined by intervening hydrogen (or even weaker) bonding, such that each such layer can be physically manipulated. See e.g., FIGS. 2 and 3. However, this term does not preclude the deposition of these layers or stacked layers on substrates or within polymer compositions (see also below).

The term “crystalline compositions comprising at least one layer having first and second surfaces, each layer comprising a substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells” refers to the unique character of these materials. For purposes of visualization, the two-dimensional array of crystal cells may be viewed as an array of cells extending in an x-y plane, with the z-axis defining the thickness of the composition, without any restrictions as to the absolute orientation of that plane or axes. It is preferred that the at least one layer having first and second surface contain but a single two-dimensional array of crystal cells (that is, the z-dimension is defined by the dimension of approximately one crystal cell), such that the planar surfaces of said cell array defines the surface of the layer, it should be appreciated that real compositions may contain portions having more than single crystal cell thicknesses.

That is, as used herein, “a substantially two dimensional array of crystal cells” refers to an array which preferably includes a lateral (in x-y dimension) array of crystals having a thickness of a single cell (e.g., corresponding to the M₂X, M₃X₂, or M₄X₃ cells as depicted in FIG. 1), such that the top and bottom surfaces of the array are available for chemical modification.

It should also be appreciated that, analogous to graphene or hexagonal BN compositions, this description of a planar or two-dimensional array should not be interpreted to describe a necessarily flat structure; rather such compositions may also take the form of a curved or undulating plane, a scroll, or a cylinder or tube (e.g., analogous to the structure of a carbon or BN nanotube).

In certain embodiments, the compositions may contain C or N atoms, or a mixture thereof, but in any case, these atoms are positioned within an octahedral or pseudo-octahedral array of M atoms, reminiscent of the positioning of the carbon or nitrogen atom within MAX-phase materials. While not necessarily being bound to the scientific accuracy of this statement, this arrangement appears to protect the C and/or N atoms from external chemical attack, while at the same time providing a degree of structural strength to the 2-dimensional layers.

Given the difficulties in obtaining crystallographic evidence as to the crystallinity of materials having such few layers (e.g., less than about 5 cell layers), owing to the reduced level or lack of constructive interference of such few layers, these materials may be characterized by measuring the thickness of the individual layers (measured, for example, by Transmission Electron Micrography or atomic force microscopy). Depending on the particular empirical formula of the given material, the thickness of a given single cell layer will be on the order of about 0.2 to about 0.3 nm (preferably about 0.25 nm) for M₂X compositions, about 0.3 to about 0.7 nm (preferably about 0.5 nm) for M₃X₂ compositions, and about 0.6 to about 0.9 nm (preferably about 0.75 nm) for M₄X₃ compositions. As described more fully below, one method of preparing these compositions is to react a precursor MAX phase material so as to remove the labile A-phase, and exfoliating the resulting structure. In these cases, it is so generally observed that the crystallinity of the resulting MXene framework, which existed in the original MAX phase structure, is sufficiently robust as to be retained during the preparation process, so that the thickness measurements by themselves can be used to characterize the materials, even in the absence of crystallographic analysis.

These MXene materials (even individual or exfoliated layers) can also be characterized by measuring the X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra of (optionally cold pressed) stacked layers (see, e.g., Example 2, FIG. 4A and Example 4, FIG. 7 below). That is, such stacking provides a sample of sufficient thickness (number of layers) to allow for sufficient constructive interference so as to provide for a measurable XRD pattern to be obtained. One distinguishing feature of XRD patterns thus generated is the presence of peaks at 2θ of ca. 5-7° (i.e., between about 4.5° and about 9.5° when Cu K_α radiation is used), corresponding to the d-spacing (thickness) of the individual layers (including the surface coatings of each layer) and lower than the (002) peaks of the corresponding MAX phase materials. That this MXene peak occurs at lower 2θvalues, reflecting higher d-spacings of the layers, than the corresponding (002) plane in a corresponding MAX phase material is consistent with the greater spacing of the crystal cells of the two materials in the former relative to the latter (e.g., referring to FIG. 3, the individual layers of the Ti₃C₂ in FIG. 3B are spaced further apart than the corresponding layers in FIG. 3A).

As described herein, the terms “M” or “M atoms,” “M elements,” or “M metals” refers to one or more members of the Groups IIIB, IVB, VB, or VIB or (aka) Groups 3-6 of the periodic table, either alone or in combination, said members including Sc, Y, Lu, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, and W. The terms “M” or “M atoms,” “M elements,” or “M metals” may also include Mn. In preferred embodiments, the transition metal is one or more of Sc, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, and/or Mo. In other preferred embodiments, the transition metal is one or more of Ti, Zr, V, Cr, Mo, Nb, and/or Ta. In even more preferred embodiments, the transition metal is Ti, Ta, Mo, Nb, V, and/or Cr.

The empirical formula M_n+1X_n, wherein X is C, N, or a combination thereof, and n=1, 2, or 3 gives rise to a number of possible composition. For example, and while not intending to be limited to this list, exemplary compositions when n=1 includes those wherein the empirical formula of the crystalline phase is Sc₂C, Sc₂N, Ti₂C, Ti₂N, Mo₂C, V₂C, V₂N, Cr₂C, Cr₂N, Zr₂C, Zr₂N, Nb₂C, Nb₂N, Hf₂C, and Hf₂N. Similarly, non-limiting exemplary compositions when n=2 includes those wherein the empirical formula of the crystalline phase is Ti₃C₂, Ti₃N₂, V₃C₂, V₃C₂, Ta₃C₂, and Ta₃N₂ and when n=3 includes those wherein the empirical formula is Ti₄C₃, Ti₄N₃, V₄C₃, V₄N₃, Ta₄C₃ and Ta₄N₃. Especially important independent embodiments include those where M comprises at least one Group IVB element, for example Ti, Zr, or Hf and those where M comprises at least one Group V elements, for example V, Nb, or Ta. More preferred independent embodiments include those where M is Ti or Ta, especially structures wherein the empirical formula of the crystalline phase is Ti₂C, Ti₂N, Ti₃C₂, Ti₃N₂, Ti₄C₃, or Ti₄N₃, or Ta₃C₂, Ta₃N₂, Ta₄C₃ or Ta₄N₃, especially Ti₂C or Ta₄C₃.

The range of compositions available can be seen as extending even further when one considers that each M-atom position within the overall M_n+1X_n matrix can be represented by more than one element. That is, one or more type of M-atom can occupy each M-positions within the respective matrices. In certain exemplary non-limiting examples, these can be (M^A_xM^B_y)₂C or (M^A_xM^B_y)₂N, (M^A_xM^B_y)₃C₂ or (M^A_xM^B_y)₃C₂, or (M^A_xM^B_y)₄C₃ or (M^A_xM^B_y)₄C₃, where M^A and M^B are independently members of the same group, and x+y=1. For example, in but one non-limiting example, such a composition can be (V_1/2Cr_1/2)₃C₂. In the same way, one or more type of X-atom can occupy each X-position within the matrices, for example solid solutions of the formulae M_n+1(C_xN_y)_n, or (M^A_xM^B_y)_n+1(C_xN_y)_n.

In various embodiments, the composition's layer has first and second surfaces which are capable of being physically or chemically interrogated or modified. This feature distinguishes these compositions from sputtered matrices or so-called MAX phase compositions. While it may be possible to describe sputtered matrices or MAX phase compositions as containing two-dimensional arrays of crystal cells, in each case these are embedded within vertically integrated and practically bound to other layers within the respective matrices (e.g., in the case of sputtered matrices, to other neighboring sputtered layers or the substrate; in the case of MAX-phase compositions, to interleaved A-group element arrays), either by covalent, metallic, or lattice bonds, and which cannot be separately accessed. By contrast, in various embodiments of the present compositions, each layer has two available or accessible surfaces sandwiching each substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells, each of which surfaces can be accessed for physical or chemical interrogation or modification.

It is important to note that, as prepared, the 2D MXene surfaces are not M-terminated (e.g., Ti-terminated), but primarily covered by oxide, OH, F groups or some combination thereof. For example in the case of a MXene of nominal composition Ti₃C₂ (e.g., derived from MAX phase Ti₃AlC₂) in fact is probably better represented by a formula such as Ti₃C₂(OH)_xO_yF_z. However, since the exact surface composition may not be known with certainty and can vary from sample to sample, and for the sake of brevity, herein, such MXene compositions of this sort (e.g., such as derived from Ti₃AlC₂) may be referred to as Ti₃C₂(OH)_xO_yF_z, Ti₃C₂, or Ti₃C₂T_s (where T_s refers to “surface terminations”), or more generally M_n+1X_nT_s, the latter terms being useful to replace the more cumbersome former term, in a manner similar to the use of a general name “graphene oxide” for oxidized graphene, which has a variety of oxygen-containing groups.

Having said this, the ability to functionalize the surfaces of the layers of the present invention to provide enrichment of a particular functional group provides a considerable synthetic and structural flexibility. Because of the arrangement of the M atoms within the M_n+1X_n framework, wherein each X is positioned within an octahedral array of M atoms, the “unfunctionalized” surface comprises largely M atoms. For example, in the absence of imperfections, a substantially planar array of crystal cells having an empirical formula Ti₃C₂ will provide or present external surfaces comprising a planar array of Ti atoms (see, e.g., FIG. 3). At the same time, owing to the chemical reactivity of Ti (or any of the M atoms), these surfaces will be coated with one or more organic or inorganic moieties, generally comprising heteroatoms or having heteroatom linking groups.

For example, in certain embodiments, at least one of the surfaces are coated with a coating comprising H, N, O, or S atoms, for example, a hydride, oxide, sub-oxide, nitride, sub-nitride, sulfide, or sub-sulfide. In preferred embodiments, the coating comprises a hydrated or anhydrous oxide, a sub-oxide, or some combination thereof. As used herein the terms “sub-oxide,” “sub-nitride,” or “sub-sulfide” is intended to connote a composition containing an amount reflecting a sub-stoichiometric or a mixed oxidation state of the M metal at the surface of oxide, nitride, or sulfide, respectively. For example, various forms of titania are known to exist as TiO_x, where x can be less than 2. Accordingly, the surfaces of the present invention may also contain oxides, nitrides, or sulfides in similar sub-stoichiometric or mixed oxidation state amounts.

In other embodiments, at least one surface is coated with a coating having a pendant moiety which is linked to the surface by an N, O, or S atom (e.g., an M-N, M-O, or M-S bond, respectively). Such surface coatings then may comprise at least one hydroxide, alkoxide, carboxylate, amine, amide, or thiol. These pendants may contain organic moieties, including saturated, unsaturated, and/or aromatic moieties. These organic moieties may optionally include heteroatoms, be linear or branched, and/or may contain one or more functional groups, for example amines and derivatives therefrom, (thio)carboxylic acids and derivatives therefrom, hydroxy or ether groups, and/or thiol groups. The moieties and/or optionally available functional groups may exist in their neutral or ionized state.

In other embodiments, the coating of at least one surface comprises at least one halide, for example F, Cl, Br, or I, preferably F. As used herein, the terms “halide” and, e.g., “fluoride” are intended to reflect the presence of metal-halogen or metal-fluorine bonds, respectively, without regard to the specific nominal charge on the halogen or fluorine.

The skilled artisan will be able to interchange the pendant groups by methods known in the art. Without the need for an exhaustive delineation of such methods, in one non-limiting example, a hydroxy or alkoxy surface may be prepared by providing an excess hydroxide or alkoxide so as to displace the halide from an initially presented M-halide surface or so as to hydrate or alkoxylate a metal oxide or sub-oxide surface. Similarly, an originally presented M-hydroxide surface may be converted to oxide or sub-oxide surface by application of heat or other dehydrating conditions. Nitrogen and sulfur surfaces may be analogously interconverted by methods known in the art for making such conversions. Similarly, hydrides may be prepared by exposing precursors to reducing conditions, either electrolytically or by contacting with reducing agents such as hydrides (e.g., NaBH₄), hydrogen gas, or ammonia.

In certain embodiments, the compositions may be electrically conducting or semiconducting.

In certain embodiments, the compositions of the present invention comprises at least one individual layer having first and second surfaces, each layer comprising a substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells having an empirical formula Ti₃C₂, with at least one surface coated with a coating comprising a hydroxide, an oxide, a sub-oxide, or a combination thereof, and so optionally represented as Ti₃C₂T_s. In other embodiments, the coating comprises fluorine or fluoride.

In other embodiments, the crystalline composition comprises at least one individual layer having first and second surfaces, each layer comprising a substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells having an empirical formula Ta₄C₃, with at least one surface coated with a coating comprising a hydroxide, an oxide, a sub-oxide, or a combination thereof, and so represented as Ta₄C₃T_s.

In still other embodiments, the crystalline composition comprises at least one individual layer having first and second surfaces, each layer comprising a substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells having an empirical formula (Cr_xV_x)₃C₂ (including where x=y=½) with at least one surface coated with a coating comprising a hydroxide, an oxide, a sub-oxide, or a combination thereof.

As described above, certain additional embodiments provide MXene compositions which exhibit conductive or semi-conductive behavior, as well as those electronic devices (e.g., transistors, where the use of graphene and MoS₂ has been successfully demonstrated) which incorporate such compositions so as to take advantage of this property. Further, it is shown that variations in the nature of the surface coating effects that behavior, as shown by density functional theory (DFT) calculations (methods described in Example 1, below) (FIG. 5G). For example, the calculated band structure of a single Ti₃C₂ layer resembles a typical semi-metal with a finite density of states at the Fermi level. Indeed, the resistivity of the thin disk shown in FIG. 4E is estimated to about an order of magnitude higher than the same disc made with unreacted Ti₂AlC powders, which translates to a resistivity of ca. 0.03 μΩm. By contrast, when terminated with OH and F groups, the band structure has a semiconducting character with a clear separation between valence and conduction bands by 0.05 eV and 0.1 eV, respectively (FIG. 5G), thereby supporting the conclusion that it is possible to tune the electronic structure of exfoliated MAX layers—or MXene compositions—by varying the functional groups. Such further modifications of the functional groups themselves may provide additional flexibility in this regard.

In certain embodiments, MXene films or papers are sufficiently thin as to be transparent (see, e.g., Example 16), while maintaining surface conductivity. Optical transparencies as high as 90% have been obtained, though in certain embodiments, such MXene films or papers may exhibit optical transparencies (i.e., at least one wavelength in a range of about 250 nm to about 850 nm) in a range of from about 0% to about 95% or higher, from about 50% to about 95%, from about 70% to about 95%, or from about 70% to about 90%. Such thin films may be prepared by delaminating epitaxially grown thin films, either as-prepared or intercalated with one or more materials as described herein.

Additional embodiments provide for the use or incorporation of MXene compositions into other materials, or the incorporation of other materials within them. For example, various embodiments provide polymer composites into which a MXene composition is incorporated. More particularly, further embodiments provide polymer composite compositions wherein the MXene compositions comprises between amounts in the range of about 0.1 wt % to about 50 wt %, relative to the combined weight of the polymer and MXene composition. Still other embodiments provide that the MXene composition is present in a range whose lower amount is about 0.1, about 1, about 2, about 5, or about 10 wt % and the upper amount is about 50 wt %, about 40 wt %, about 30 wt %, about 20 wt %, about 10 wt %, or about 5 wt %, relative to the combined weight of the polymer and the MXene composition comprising a polymer.

The polymer composite may be comprised of organic polymers, more specifically thermoset or thermoplastic polymers or polymer resins, elastomers, or mixtures thereof. Various embodiments include those wherein the polymer or polymer resin contains an aromatic or heteroaromatic moiety, for example, phenyl, biphenyl, pyridinyl, bipyridinyl, naphthyl, pyrimidinyl, including derivative amides or esters of terephthalic acid or naphthalic acid. Other embodiments provide that the polymer or polymer resin comprises polyester, polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylenenaphthalate (PEN), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyether etherketone (PEEK), polyamide, polyaryletherketone (PAEK), polyethersulfone (PES), polyethylenenimine (PEI), poly (p-phenylene sulfide) (PPS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), fluorinated or perfluorinated polymer (such as a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE or TEFLON®), polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), a polyvinyl fluoride (PVF or TEDLAR®)) (TEFLON® and TEDLAR® are registered trademarks of the E.I. DuPont de Nemours Company, of Wilmington, Del.).

It is believed that the planar nature of MXene layers may be well suited to organizing themselves in those anisotropic polymers, for example having planar moieties, e.g., aromatic moieties, especially when (but not only when) these planar organic moieties are directionally oriented to be parallel in a polymer composite composition. Such embodiments include the inclusion of MXene compositions into liquid crystal polymers. Moreover, the ability to produce MXene compositions having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic pendants provides for compatibility with a wide-ranging variety of polymer materials.

Additional embodiments of the present invention provide polymer composites, including those wherein the polymer composite is in a form having a planar configuration—for example, a film, sheet, or ribbon—comprising a MXene layer or multilayer composition. Still further embodiments provide such polymer composites wherein the two-dimensional crystal layers of the MXene materials are aligned or substantially aligned with the plane of a polymer composite film, sheet, or ribbon, especially when the organic polymers are oriented in the plane of that film, sheet, or ribbon.

The large elastic moduli predicted by ab initio simulation, and the possibility of varying their surface chemistries (beyond those exemplified herein, which are terminated by hydroxyl and/or fluorine groups) render these nanosheets attractive as polymer composite fillers. For example, the elastic modulus of a single, exfoliated Ti₃C₂(OH)₂ layer, along the basal plane, is calculated to be around 300 GPa, which is within the typical range of transition metal carbides and significantly higher than most oxides and clays (see, e.g., P. H. Nadeau, Applied Clay Science 1987, 2, 83, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety). And while the 300 GPa value is lower than that of graphene (e.g., as described in S. Stankovich, et al., Nature 2006, 442, 282, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety), the ability to match the character of the MXene layered materials with that of the polymer matrix, as described above, is expected to ensure better bonding to and better dispersion in polymer matrices when these MXene layers are to be used as reinforcements in polymer composites. It is also important to note here that the functionalized Ti₃C₂ sheets described herein were much more stable than graphene sheets under the 200 kV electron beam in the TEM.

Accordingly, still further embodiments provide that the MXene composition-filled composite polymers, especially when these polymer composites have a planar configuration, such as that of film, sheet, or ribbon, especially an oriented film, sheet, or ribbon, exhibit a flexural strength (bending rigidity) and/or stiffness than that of the corresponding film, sheet, or ribbon of the same polymer without the MXene composition. In some embodiments, this greater flexural strength and/or stiffness is independently at least 5%, at least 10%, or at least 25% higher than the flexural strength or toughness than that exhibited by an otherwise equivalent, but unfilled material.

Thus far, the compositions have been described in terms of having individual layers having first and second surfaces, each layer comprising a substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells. However, additional embodiments provide for stacked assemblies of at least two layers having first and second surfaces, each layer comprising a substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells, each crystal cell having the empirical formula of M_n+1X_n, such that each X is positioned within an octahedral array of M; wherein M is a Group IIIB, IVB, VB, or VIB metal or Mn; each X is C or N; and n=1, 2, or 3; and wherein the layers are characterized as having an average surface area and interlayer distance.

In various embodiments of these stacked assemblies, each layer may retain the characteristics as described above, but be held in place or edge-wise connected such that the assembly has up to about 50 layers of crystal layers. In various embodiments, these number of crystal layers in these assemblies may be described as having a range having a lower end of 2, about 5, about 10, about 15, or about 20 and an upper range of about 50, about 40, about 30, about 25, about 20, and about 10, with exemplary ranges of 2 to about 50, 2 to about 25, 2 to about 20, about 5 to about 50, about 5 to about 25, about 5 to about 20, about 10 to about 50, about 10 to about 25, about 10 to about 20, about 10 to about 15, about 15 to about 20.

In various embodiments, the composite layers characterized as having an average surface area. While the bounds of these areas are not necessarily limited to any particular values, in certain preferred embodiments, the average surface or planar area is defined by a range of areas, with individual embodiments having a lower range value of about 50 nm², about 100 nm², about 250 nm², about 500 nm², or about 1000 nm², and having an upper range value of about 10,000 nm², about 5000 nm², about 2500 nm², about 1000 nm², about 500 nm², about 250 nm², or about 100 nm², with exemplary ranges of about 100 nm² to about 2500 nm², of about 250 nm² to about 2500 nm², of about 500 nm² to about 1500 nm², of about 500 nm² to about 1000 nm², 50 nm² to about 250 nm², or about 750 nm² to about 1000 nm².

In other preferred embodiments, the average surface or planar area is defined by a range of areas, with individual embodiments having a lower range value of about 5 μm², about 10 μm², about 25 μm², about 50 μm², about 100 μm², about 250 μm², about 500 μm², or about 1000 μm² and having an upper range value of about 100,000 μm², 10,000 μm², about 1000 μm², about 500 μm², about 250 μm², about 100 μm², about 50 μm², about 25 μm², or about 10 μm², with exemplary ranges of about 10 μm² to about 250 μm², of about 25 μm² to about 250 μm², of about 50 μm² to about 150 μm², of about 50 μm² to about 100 μm², 5 μm² to about 25 μm², or about 75 μm² to about 125 μm².

While the surface of these composite layer may be of any shape, it is convenient to describe such shapes as having a major and minor planar dimension (or x-axis and y-axis dimensions, using the envisioned x-y plane as described above). For example, if a quadrilateral or pseudo-quadrilateral shape, the major and minor dimension is the length and width dimensions. In preferred embodiments, the ratio of the lengths of the major and minor axes is in the range of about 1 to about 10 (1:10) to about 10 to about 1 (10:1), about 1 to about 5 (1:5) to about 5 to about 1 (5:1), more preferably about 1 to about 3 (1:3) to about 3 to about 1 (3:1), or about 1 to about 2 (1:2) to about 2 to about 1 (2:1).

Additionally, in various embodiments, the interlayer distances (i.e., the distances between the composite crystal layers) in these stacked assemblies is in the range of about 0.2 nm to about 1 nm, preferably in the range of about 0.3 nm to about 0.5 nm. When prepared by the methods described below (i.e., removing the labile A-phase elements from MAX phase materials, see below), these interlayer distances may be consistent with the atomic radii of the removed elements. For example, the atomic diameter of Al is about 0.25 nm and that of Sn about 0.3 nm.

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide stacked assemblies which are capable of intercalating atoms and/or ions between at least some of the layers of two-dimensional crystal layers. Such spontaneous intercalation of cations from aqueous solutions was not theoretically or previously demonstrated. For example, these atoms and/or ions can be metal or metalloid atoms or ions, including alkali, alkaline earth, and transition metals. In some embodiments, these are alkali metal atoms and/or ions (e.g., Li, Na, K, and/or Cs); and most preferably lithium. In other embodiments, the atoms and/or ions include ammonium, magnesium, and aluminum. In some embodiments, these atoms and/or ions are able to move into and out of the stacked assemblies.

In certain embodiments, the cations intercalated spontaneously, on exposure of the cations to the MX-ene materials, using alkaline or acidic aqueous media (see, e.g., Example 13.2). Carbonates, carboxylates (such as described in Example 13.2), hydroxides, and sulfates may be used to introduce the cations into between the MXene layers. In some cases, notably Al³⁺, the intercalation can additionally be promoted electrochemically. These intercalated compositions are able to induce high capacitances in flexible Ti₃C₂T_s paper electrodes in aqueous electrolytes. Generally, these intercalated structures may be incorporated into electrodes, double layer capacitors, or both, where said structures further comprise, for example, conductive carbon (e.g., onion-like carbon or carbon black) and fluoropolymer binders (including perfluorinated binders known in the art, e.g., PTFE).

These multilayer structures or assemblies may be used for the same types of applications described above for the MXene layer compositions.

Additionally, the ability to intercalate lithium atoms and/or ions, together with the electrical properties of the MXene layers described above, provides the opportunities that these stacked assemblies may be used as energy storing devices (e.g., anodes) comprising these intercalated stacked composition, or the energy storage devices themselves, for example, batteries, comprising these elements.

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations at 0 K and in Li-rich environments show that the formation of Ti₃C₂Li₂ as a result of the intercalation of Li into the space vacated by the Al atoms (FIG. 6C) assuming reaction

Ti₃C₂+2Li=Ti₃C₂Li₂  (4)

has an enthalpy change of 0.28 eV. One possible reason for the positive value maybe the fact that Li has an atomic radius of 145 pm, whereas that of Al is 125 pm. The structure shown in FIG. 6C would provide a capacity of 320 mAhg⁻¹, which is comparable to the 372 mAhg⁻¹ of graphite for (LiC₆). More recently, a steady state capacity of ca. 410 mAhg⁻¹ has been achieved for MX-ene compositions comprising Ti₃C₂ intercalated with Li⁺.

Accordingly, various embodiments of the present invention include Li-ion batteries (FIG. 6C) and pseudo-capacitor electrodes, wherein the MXene layers or assemblies replace layered transition metal oxides, which show useful red-ox properties and Li-intercalation, but which have lower electrical conductivities than described herein for the MXene materials.

The ability of MXene to intercalate ions, including lithium ions, so as to allow these materials to act as Li-ion batteries and/or pseudo-capacitor electrodes, is shown in Example 10, below. Similarly, the ability to intercalate a wide range of cations from aqueous solutions (as shown in Example 13), both from multilayer MX-enes and MX-ene “paper” made from a few layers of MX-ene materials, makes these ionically intercalated materials useful for those embodiments comprising flexible and wearable energy storage devices. The fact that a variety of ions, as different as Na⁺ and Al³⁺, can be accommodated between the MXene layers provide for embodiments comprising batteries as well as in metal-ion capacitors (battery-supercapacitor hybrids) which comprise these intercalated MXene as well.

Other embodiments of the present invention provide stacked assemblies which are capable of being intercalated or actually are intercalated by small molecules or salts thereof between at least some of the layers of two-dimensional crystal layers. In this regard, the term “small molecules,” describes molecules comprising C, H, N, O, or S, and having molecular weights less than about 250 daltons. These molecules or salts are preferably, but not necessarily, polar. These molecules or salts are preferably, but not necessarily, aprotic. In some embodiments, the stacked assemblies are capable of being intercalated or actually are intercalated by molecules or salts thereof, said molecules or salt being those which are known to intercalate into kaolinite between at least some of the layers of two-dimensional crystal layers. In this regard, they may be described to as “kaolinitic intercalators.” Without being bound to any particular theory, it appears that these intercalating chemicals are capable of stably interacting with the surface functionalities of the individual layers of the MX-ene materials. Exemplary small molecules or kaolinitic intercalators include hydrazine, hydrazine monohydrate, DMSO, urea, and N, N-dimethylformamide. Ammonium hydroxide has also been demonstrated to intercalate into these stacked assemblies. N-methylformamide (NMF) and 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) are also known to intercalate into kaolinite matrices

Example 14 describes some exemplary, non-limiting methods of intercalating these types of chemicals into the MX-ene matrices. It is noted that for at least some of these chemicals, the intercalation is reversible—i.e., they can be inserted and removed by varying processing conditions, including simple exposure to the potential intercalant and variations in temperature, or both. It should also be apparent that introducing a first intercalated chemical into a given MX-ene matrix, may provide an opportunity to substitute it by a second chemical or chemicals, perhaps larger organic molecules, either by co- or post-intercalation, thereby providing a route to a broader class of intercalated compositions, similar to intercalated kaolinite derivatives. For example, pyrrolidinium halide and benzamide intercalation compounds of kaolinite are known to be available from DMSO intercalated kaolinite, and similar substitutions may be available for analogous compounds comprising these MX-ene materials. The specific embodiments described in Example 14 are deemed part of the present invention.

In addition to the compositions of the MXene materials, various embodiments provide for the preparation of such materials. Certain embodiments provide methods of preparing compositions comprising: (a) removing substantially all of the A atoms from a MAX-phase composition having an empirical formula of M_n+1AX_n; wherein M is an early transition metal or a mixture thereof, wherein A is a so-called A-group element (typically described, see below, as including Al, Si, P, S, Ga, Ge, As, Cd, In, Sn, Tl, and Pb); wherein X is C or N, or a combination thereof; and wherein n=1, 2, or 3 so as to provide a free standing composition comprising a framework of a substantially two-dimensional composite crystal layer having first and second surfaces.

MAX phase compositions are generally recognized as comprising layered, hexagonal carbides and nitrides have the general formula: M_n+1AX_n, (MAX) where n=1 to 3, in which M is typically described as an early transition metal (comprising a Group IIIB, IVB, VB, or VIB metal, or Mn), A is described as an A-group (mostly IIIA and IVA, or groups 13 and 14) element and X is either carbon and/or nitrogen. See, e.g., M. W. Barsoum, et al., “Synthesis and Characterization of a Remarkable Ceramic: Ti₃SiC₂,” J. Amer. Ceramics. Soc., 79, 1953-1956 (1996); M. W. Barsoum, “The M_N+1AX_N Phases: A New Class of Solids: Thermodynamically Stable Nanolaminates,” Progress in Solid State Chemistry, 28, 201-281 (2000), both of which are incorporated by reference herein. While Ti₃AlC₂ is among the most widely studied of these materials, more than 60 MAX phases are currently known to exist and are useful in the present invention. While not intending to be limiting, representative examples of MAX phase materials useful in the present invention include: (211) Ti₂CdC, Sc₂InC, Ti₂AlC, Ti₂GaC, Ti₂InC, Ti₂TlC, V₂AlC, V₂GaC, Cr₂GaC, Ti₂AlN, Ti₂GaN, Ti₂InN, V₂GaN, Cr₂GaN, Ti₂GeC, Ti₂SnC, Ti₂PbC, V₂GeC, Cr₂AlC, Cr₂GeC, V₂PC, V₂AsC, Ti₂SC, Zr₂InC, Zr₂TlC, Nb₂AlC, Nb₂GaC, Nb₂InC, Mo₂GaC, Zr₂InN, Zr₂TlN, Zr₂SnC, Zr₂PbC, Nb₂SnC, Nb₂PC, Nb₂AsC, Zr₂SC, Nb₂SC, Hf₂InC, Hf₂TlC, Ta₂AlC, Ta₂GaC, Hf₂SnC, Hf₂PbC, Hf₂SnN, Hf₂SC; (312) Ti₃AlC₂, V₃AlC₂, Ti₃SiC₂, Ti₃GeC₂, Ti₃SnC₂, Ta₃AlC₂, and (413) Ti₄AlN₃, V₄AlC₃, Ti₄GaC₃, Ti₄SiC₃, Ti₄GeC₃, Nb₄AlC₃, and Ta₄AlC₃. Solid solutions of these materials can also be used as described herein (e.g., see Example 4).

MAX phase materials are themselves known to exist as laminated structures with anisotropic properties. These materials are layered hexagonal (space group P6₃/mmc), with two formula units per unit cell (FIG. 1). Near close-packed M-layers are interleaved with pure A-group element layers, with the X-atoms filling the octahedral sites between the former.

Within the MAX phase structure, the M_n+1X, layers are chemically quite stable, possibly owing to the strength of the M-X bond. By comparison, the A-group atoms are the most reactive species, reflective of their relatively weak binding. For example, heating Ti₃SiC₂ in a C-rich atmosphere or heating in molten cryolite or molten aluminum is known to result in the loss of Si and the formation of TiC_x. In the case of cryolite, the vacancies that form lead to the formation of a partially ordered cubic TiC_0.67 phase. In both cases, the high temperatures lead to a structural transformation from a hexagonal to a cubic lattice and a partial loss of layering. In some cases, such as Ti₂InC, simply heating in vacuum at ca. 800° C., results in loss of the A-group element and TiC_x formation. Removing of both the M and A elements from MAX structure by high temperature chlorination results in a porous carbon known as carbide derived carbon with useful and unique properties.

By contrast, the present methods surprisingly provide for the preparation of compositions comprising layers or stacked assemblies of at least one layer having first and second surfaces, each layer comprising a substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells, each crystal cell deriving from the M_n+1X_n layers of MAX phase compositions. These compositions are capable of free-standing or can be organized into stacked assemblies of coated crystal layers.

As used herein, the term “removing substantially all of the A atoms from a MAX-phase composition” connotes embodiments wherein at least 50 atomic % of the A atoms are removed from a finally recovered sample, relative to the original MAX phase composition. In other more preferred independent embodiments, more than about 60 atomic %, more than about 70 atomic %, more than about 80 atomic %, more than about 90 atomic %, more than about 95 atomic %, more than about 98 atomic %, and more than about 99 atomic % of the A atoms are removed from a finally recovered sample, relative to the original MAX phase composition.

Certain embodiments provide a process for removing these A atoms comprising treatment with an acid, preferably a strong acid capable of reacting with the A atoms. Such acids may be organic or inorganic acids, and may be applied in the gas or liquid phase, provided the resulting A-atom product can be removed from the lattice. In this regard, strong acids which include fluorine atoms appear to be especially preferred. Aqueous hydrofluoric acid is among those acids which appear especially useful. Aqueous ammonium hydrogen fluoride (NH₄F.HF) is another, more safely handled, acid which may be useful in effecting removal of the A atom. Other alkali metal bifluoride salts (i.e., QHF₂, where Q is Li, Na, or K) may also be useful for this purpose. Indeed, even conditions which generate aqueous HF in situ (for example, using alkali metal fluoride salts (e.g., NaF) in the presence of mineral acids, such as HCl or HNO₃, have been shown to provide mixtures capable of effectively removing the A atom from MAX phase materials. The skilled artisan will also appreciate that any reactant known to react preferentially with the A atoms of a given MAX phase composition, relative to the M_n+1X_n may also be useful, for example selective chelants. Uses of such reactants are considered within the scope of this invention.

The extraction of the A group layers may be done at room, or even moderate, temperature, for example in the range of about 20° C. to about 800° C., preferably in temperature ranges wherein the lower temperature is about 20° C., about 25° C., about 30° C., about 40° C., about 50° C., about 60° C., about 80° C., about 100° C., about 200° C., or about 300° C., and wherein the upper temperature is about 600° C., about 500° C., about 400° C., about 300° C., about 250° C., about 200° C., about 150° C., about 100° C., about 80° C., or about 60° C. Exemplary examples of ranges include temperatures in the range of about 20° C. to about 100° C., about 20° C. to about 60° C., or about 30° C. to about 60° C. The extractions may be conducted using liquid or gas phase extraction methods. Gas phase reactions are generally to be done at the higher temperatures.

In further embodiments, the chemically treated materials are subjected to sonication, either using ultrasonic or mega sonic energy sources. This sonication may be applied during or after the chemical treatment.

One embodiment of the chemical exfoliation process for one representative material is diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 3, and described further below. In this example, the treatment of Ti₃AlC₂ powders for 2 h in aqueous HF resulted in the formation of exfoliated 2-D Ti₃C₂ layers. The term “exfoliated” refers to a process of delaminating the individual (or multiple individual layers) from the stacked assemblies (see, e.g., the second step illustrated in FIG. 3). The exposed Ti surfaces appear to be terminated by OH and/or F (see Examples below). While not intending to be bound by the correctness of any single theory or mechanism, based on the experimental information provided below, it appears that the following simplified reactions occur when Ti₃AlC₂ is immersed in aqueous HF:

Ti₃AlC₂+3HF=AlF₃+3/2H₂+Ti₃C₂  (1)

Ti₃C₂+2H₂O=Ti₃C₂(OH)₂+H₂  (2)

Ti₃C₂+2HF=Ti₃C₂F₂+H₂  (3)

Reaction (1) appears to be a necessary step, at least to the extent that it provides for the extraction of AlF₃ in some form (e.g., perhaps some soluble derivative, such as H₃AlF₆), followed or accompanied by reaction (2) and/or (3). Evidence consistent with the aforementioned reactions and that they result in the exfoliation of 2-D Ti₃C₂ layers, with OH and/or F surface groups is presented below. Reactions (2) and (3) are simplified in that they assume the terminations are OH or F, respectively, when in fact they may be a combination of both.

Non-limiting examples of MXene compositions prepared by chemical exfoliation are illustrated in FIGS. 9-18.

In other embodiments, the exfoliation can be accomplished electrochemically. In various embodiments, MAX phase materials are selectively exfoliated to form the corresponding MXene by the application of potentiostatic or galvanostatic polarization. See Example 9, below.

It should also be recognized that, in addition to those embodiments described for the compositions provided above, other embodiments provide for compositions provided by the methods of preparation described herein. For example, those composition obtained from subjecting a MAX phase material to a chemical exfoliation process, said exfoliation process comprising treatment with aqueous HF and sonication, wherein a substantial portion of the A atoms are removed should also be considered within the scope of the present invention.

The following listing of embodiments is intended to complement, rather than displace or supersede, the previous descriptions.

Embodiment 1

A composition comprising at least one layer having first and second surfaces, each layer comprising:

a substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells,

each crystal cell having an empirical formula of M_n+1X_n, such that each X is positioned within an octahedral array of M,

wherein M is at least one Group IIIB, IVB, VB, or VIB metal, or Mn

wherein each X is C, N, or a combination thereof, and

n=1, 2, or 3.

Embodiment 2

The composition of Embodiment 1 comprising a plurality of layers.

Embodiment 3

The composition of Embodiment 1 or 2, wherein M is at least one Group IVB, Group VB, or Group VIB metal.

Embodiment 4

The composition of any one of Embodiments 1 to 3, wherein M_n+1X_n comprises Sc₂C, Sc₂N, Ti₂C, Ti₂N, Mo₂C, V₂C, V₂N, Cr₂C, Cr₂N, Zr₂C, Zr₂N, Nb₂C, Nb₂N, Hf₂C, Hf₂N, Ti₃C₂, Ti₃N₂, V₃C₂, V₃C₂, Ta₃C₂, Ta₃N₂, or Ti₄C₃, Ti₄N₃, V₄C₃, V₄N₃, Ta₄C₃, Ta₄N₃, or a combination thereof.

Embodiment 5

The composition of any one of Embodiments 1 to 4, wherein M_n+1X_n comprises Ti₃C₂, Ti₃CN, Ti₂C, Ta₄C₃, or (V_1/2Cr_1/2)₃C₂.

Embodiment 6

The composition of any one of Embodiments 1 to 4, wherein M_n+1X_n comprises V₂C, Mo₂C, Nb₂C₃, and Mo₃C₂.

Embodiment 7

The composition of any one of Embodiments 1 to 5, wherein M is Ti, and n is 1 or 2.

Embodiment 8

The composition of any one of Embodiments 1 to 5, wherein M is Ta.

Embodiment 9

The composition of any one of Embodiments 1 to 7, wherein n=1.

Embodiment 10

The composition of any one of Embodiments 1 to 8, wherein n=2

Embodiment 11

The composition of any one of Embodiments 1 to 5, wherein n=3.

Embodiment 12

The composition of any one of Embodiments 1 to 11, wherein the layer is in the form of a plane, a scroll, or a tube.

Embodiment 13

The composition of any one of Embodiments 1 to 12, wherein at least one of said surfaces is coated with a coating comprising alkoxide, carboxylate, halide, hydroxide, hydride, oxide, sub-oxide, nitride, sub-nitride, sulfide, thiol, or a combination thereof.

Embodiment 14

The composition of Embodiment 13, wherein the coating comprises fluorine atoms or fluoride ions.

Embodiment 15

The composition of Embodiment 13, wherein the coating comprises hydrated or anhydrous oxide or sub-oxide, or combination thereof.

Embodiment 16

The composition of Embodiment 1, the crystal cells having an empirical formula Ti₃C₂ or Ti₂C and wherein at least one of said surfaces is coated with a coating comprising hydroxide, oxide, sub-oxide, or a combination thereof.

Embodiment 17

The composition of Embodiment 1, the crystal cells having an empirical formula Ta₄C₃ and wherein at least one of said surfaces is coated with a coating comprising hydroxide, oxide, sub-oxide, or a combination thereof.

Embodiment 18

The composition of any one of Embodiments 1 to 17, wherein the composition comprises an electrically conductive or semiconductive surface.

Embodiment 19

A polymer composite comprising an organic polymer and the composition of any one of Embodiments 1 to 18.

Embodiment 20

The copolymer composite of Embodiment 19, wherein the polymer composite is in a form having a configuration defined by a two-dimensional plane, wherein the organic polymer is oriented coincident with the plane of that planar configuration.

Embodiment 21

The polymer composite of Embodiment 19 or 20, wherein the substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells defines a plane, and said plane is substantially aligned with the plane of the polymer composite.

Embodiment 22

The polymer composite of any one of Embodiments 19 to 21, wherein the flexural strength and/or stiffness in the planar dimension of the polymer composite is greater than the flexural strength and/or stiffness of a corresponding polymer composition without the composition of claim 1.

Embodiment 23

A stacked assembly of at least two layers having first and second surfaces, each layer comprising:

a substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells, each crystal cell having the empirical formula of M_n+1X_n, such that each X is positioned within an octahedral array of M;

wherein M is a Group TIM, IVB, VB, or VIB metal, or Mn;

each X is C, N, or a combination thereof; and

n=1, 2, or 3;

wherein the layers are characterized as having an average surface area and interlayer distance.

Embodiment 24

The stacked assembly of Embodiment 23, wherein M_n+1X_n comprises Sc₂C, Sc₂N, Ti₂C, Ti₂N, Mo₂C, V₂C, V₂N, Cr₂C, Cr₂N, Zr₂C, Zr₂N, Nb₂C, Nb₂N, Hf₂C, Hf₂N, Ti₃C₂, Ti₃N₂, V₃C₂, V₃C₂, Ta₃C₂, Ta₃N₂, or Ti₄C₃, Ti₄N₃, V₄C₃, V₄N₃, Ta₄C₃, Ta₄N₃, or a combination thereof.

Embodiment 25

The stacked assembly of Embodiment 23, wherein M_n+1X_n comprises Ti₂C, Ti₂N, Ti₃C₂, Ti₃N_z, Ti₄C₃, Ti₄N₃, Ta₃C₂, Ta₃N₂, Ta₄C₃, or Ta₄N₃, or a combination thereof.

Embodiment 26

The stacked assembly of any one of Embodiments 23 to 25, wherein M_n+1X_n comprises Ti₃C₂, TiNbC, Nb₂C, Ti₃CN, Ti₂C, Ta₄C₃, or (V_1/2Cr_1/2)₃C₂.

Embodiment 27

The stacked assembly of Embodiments 23 or 24, wherein comprises V₂C, Mo₂C, Nb₂C₃, and Mo₃C₂.

Embodiment 28

The stacked assembly of Embodiments 23, wherein M_n+1X_n is Ti₃C₂, TiNbC, Ti₃CN, or Ti₂C.

Embodiment 29

The stacked assembly of Embodiments 23, wherein is Ti₃C₂.

Embodiment 30

The stacked assembly of any one of Embodiments 23 to 29, wherein at least one of the surfaces has bound thereto alkoxide, carboxylate, halide, hydroxide, hydride, oxide, sub-oxide, nitride, sub-nitride, sulfide, thiol, or a combination thereof.

Embodiment 31

The stacked assembly of any one of Embodiments 23 to 30, wherein the number of layers is in the range of 2 to about 50.

Embodiment 32

The stacked assembly of any one of Embodiments 23 to 29, wherein the average area of the layers is in the range of about 100 nm² to about 10,000 nm² or about 100 μm² to about 10,000 μm².

Embodiment 33

The composition of any one of Embodiments 23 to 30, capable of intercalating atoms and/or ions between at least some of the layers.

Embodiment 34

The stacked assembly of any one of Embodiments 23 to 31, said assembly resulting from the deposition of delaminated flakes of the composition onto a surface.

Embodiment 35

The stacked assembly of any one of Embodiments 23 to 34, said assembly exhibiting at least 65% transparency to at least one wavelength of light in a range of from about 250 nm to about 850 nm and a surface resistivity of less than about 50 micro-ohm-meter.

Embodiment 36

The stacked assembly of any one of Embodiments 23 to 35, wherein atoms, ions, or both atoms and ions of the same material are intercalated between at least some of the layers.

Embodiment 37

The stacked assembly of any one of Embodiments 23 to 36, wherein the atoms, ions, or both atoms and ions of the same material comprise lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, or a combination thereof.

Embodiment 38

The stacked assembly of Embodiment 37, wherein the atoms, ions, or both atoms and ions of the same material comprise or consist essentially of lithium.

Embodiment 39

The stacked assembly of any one of Embodiments 23 to 38, further comprising a kaolinitic intercalator intercalated between at least some of the layers.

Embodiment 40

The stacked assembly of Embodiment 39, wherein the kaolinitic intercalator is hydrazine, DMSO, urea or N, N-dimethylformamide.

Embodiment 41

An energy-storing device or electrode comprising the stacked assembly of any one of Embodiments 23 to 40.

Embodiment 41

A battery comprising the stacked assembly of any one of Embodiments 23 to 40.

Embodiment 42

A method of preparing a composition comprising:

removing substantially all of the A atoms from a MAX-phase composition having an empirical formula of M_n+1AX_n.

wherein M is at least one Group TIM, IVB, VB, or VIB metal, or Mn,

wherein A is an A-group element;

each X is C, N, or a combination thereof and

n=1, 2, or 3,

thereby providing a composition comprising at least one layer having a first and second surface, each layer comprising a substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells.

Embodiment 43

The method of Embodiment 42, wherein the A atoms are removed by a process comprising a treatment with a fluorine-containing acid.

Embodiment 44

The method of Embodiments 43, wherein the fluorine-containing acid is aqueous hydrofluoric acid.

Embodiment 45

The method of Embodiment 43, wherein the fluorine-containing acid is a substantially anhydrous gas.

Embodiment 46

The method of Embodiment 43, wherein the fluorine-containing acid comprises aqueous ammonium hydrogen fluoride (NH₄F.HF), NaHF₂, or a mixture resulting from the combination of an alkali metal salt with a mineral acid.

Embodiment 47

The method of any one of Embodiments 42 to 46, further comprising sonication.

EXAMPLES

The following Examples are provided to illustrate some of the concepts described within this disclosure. While each Example is considered to provide specific individual embodiments of composition, methods of preparation and use, none of the Examples should be considered to limit the more general embodiments described herein.

In the following examples, efforts have been made to ensure accuracy with respect to numbers used (e.g. amounts, temperature, etc.) but some experimental error and deviation should be accounted for. Unless indicated otherwise, temperature is in degrees C., pressure is at or near atmospheric.

Example 1

Methods and Materials

Powder of Ti₃AlC₂ was prepared by ball-milling Ti₂AlC (>92 wt. % 3-ONE-2, Voorhees, N.J.) and TiC (99% Johnson Matthey Electronic, NY) powders in a 1:1 molar ratio for 24 h using zirconia balls. The mixture was heated to 1350° C. for 2 h under argon, Ar. The resulting loosely held compact was crushed in a mortar and pestle. Roughly 10 g of powders are then immersed in 100 ml of a 50% concentrated hydrofluoric acid, HF, (Fisher Scientific, Fair Lawn, N.J.) solution at room temperature for 2 h. The resulting suspension was then washed several times using de-ionized water and centrifuged to separate the powders. In some cases, to align the flakes and produce free-standing discs, the treated powders were cold pressed at a load corresponding to a stress of about 1 GPa in a steel die.

X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns were obtained with a powder diffractometer (Siemens D500, Germany) using Cu K_α radiation, and a step scan of 0.02° and 1 s per step. Si powder was added to some samples as an internal standard. A scanning electron microscope, (SEM, Zeiss Supra 50VP, Germany) was used to obtain high magnification images of the treated powders. Transmission electron microscopes, TEMs, (JEOL JEM-2100F and JEM 2100, Japan; FEI, Tecnai G2 TF20UT FEG, Netherlands) operating at 200 kV were used to characterize the exfoliated powders. Chemical analysis in the TEM was carried out using an ultra-thin window X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer, EDAX (EDAX, Mahwah, N.J.). The TEM samples were prepared by deposition of the flakes—from an isopropanol suspension—on a lacey-200 mesh carbon-coated copper grid. Raman spectroscopy of the cold pressed samples was carried out on a microspectrometer (inVia, Renishaw plc, Gloucestershire, UK) using an Ar ion laser (514.5 nm) and a grating with 1800 lines/mm. This corresponds to a spectral resolution of 1.9 cm⁻¹ and a spot size of 0.7 μm in the focal plane. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XPS, (PHI 5000, ULVAC-PHI, Inc., Japan) was used to analyze the surfaces of samples before and after exfoliation.

Theoretical calculations were performed by density functional theory (DFT) using the plane-wave pseudo-potential approach, with ultrasoft pseudopotentials and Perdew Burke Ernzerhof (PBE) exchange—Wu-Cohen (WC) correlation functional, as implemented in the CASTEP code in Material Studio software (Version 4.5). A 8×8×1 Monkhorst-Pack grid and planewave basis set cutoff of 500 eV were used for the calculations. Exfoliation was modeled by first removing Al atoms from the Ti₃AlC₂ lattice. Exposed Ti atoms located on the bottom and top of the remaining Ti₃C₂ layers were saturated by OH (FIG. 3B) or F groups followed by full geometry optimization until all components of the residual forces became less than 0.01 eV/Å. Equilibrium structures for exfoliated layers were determined by separating single Ti₃C₂ layers by a 1.2 nm thick vacuum space in a periodic supercell followed by the aforementioned full geometry optimization. Band structures of the optimized materials were calculated using a k point separation of 0.015 Å⁻¹. The elastic properties of the 2-D structures were calculated by subjecting the optimized structure to various strains and calculating the resulting second derivatives of the energy density.

Example 2

Experimental Characterization of Ti₃C₂(OH)₂ and Ti₃C₂(F)₂

XRD spectra of the initial Ti₂AlC—TiC mixture after heating to 1350° C. for 2 h resulted in peaks that corresponded mainly to Ti₃AlC₂ (bottom curve in FIG. 4A). When the Ti₃AlC₂ powders were placed into the HF solution, bubbles, believed to be H₂, were observed suggesting a chemical reaction. Ultrasonication of the reaction products in methanol for 300 s resulted in significant weakening of the peaks and the appearance of an amorphous broad band around 24° (top spectrum in FIG. 4A). In other words, exfoliation leads to a loss of diffraction signal in the out-of-plane direction, and the non-planar shape of the nanosheets results in broadening of peaks corresponding to in-plane diffraction. When the same powders were cold pressed at 1 GPa, into free-standing, 300 μm thick and 25 mm diameter discs (FIG. 4E), their XRD showed that most of the non-basal plane peaks of Ti₃AlC₂—most notably the most intense peak at 39°—disappear (curve labeled “HF etched” in FIG. 4A). On the other hand, the (001) peaks, such as the (002), (004) and (010), broadened, lost intensity, and shifted to lower angles compared to their location before treatment. Using the Scherrer formula, as described in B. D. Cullity, Elements of X-ray diffraction, Addison-Wesley 1978, which is incorporated by reference herein, the average particle dimension in the [0001] direction after treatment is estimated to be 11±3 nm, which corresponds to roughly ten Ti₃C₂(OH)₂ layers. To identify the peaks we simulated XRD patterns of hydroxylated, viz. Ti₃C₂(OH)₂, (curve labeled “Ti₃C₂(OH)₂” in FIG. 4A) and fluorinated, Ti₃C₂F₂, structures (curved labeled as such in FIG. 4A). Clearly, both were in good agreement with the XRD patterns of the pressed sample (curve labeled “HF etched” in FIG. 4A), the agreement was better with the former. The disappearance of the most intense diffraction peak of Ti₃AlC₂ at 39° and the good agreement between the simulated XRD spectra for Ti₃C₂(OH)₂ and the experimental results provides strong evidence of the formation of the latter. The presence of OH groups after treatment was confirmed by FTIR.

Further DFT geometry optimization of the hydroxylated (FIG. 5F) and fluorinated structure resulted in 5% and 16% expansion of the original Ti₃AlC₂ lattice, respectively, as observed. If Al were simply removed, and not replaced by functional groups, the DFT optimization caused the structure to contract by 19%, which is not observed. The increase of the c-lattice parameters upon reaction (FIG. 4A) is thus strong evidence for the validity of reactions 2, 3.

Raman spectra of Ti₃AlC₂, before and after HF treatment, are shown in FIG. 4B. Peaks II, III, and IV vanished after treatment, while peaks VI and VII, merged, broadened and downshifted. Such downshifting has been observed in Raman spectra of very thin layers of inorganic layered compounds, and is characteristic of such materials. See, e.g., C. N. R. Rao, et al., Science and Technology of Advanced Materials 2010, 11, 054502, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The line broadening, and the spectral shifts in the Raman spectra are consistent with exfoliation and are in agreement with the broadened XRD profiles. In analogy with Ti₃SiC₂ (see J. Spanier, S. Gupta, M. Amer, M. W. Barsoum, Physical Review B 2005, 71, 012103, which is also incorporated by reference herein), peaks I to III in FIG. 4B can be assigned to Al—Ti vibrations, while peaks V and VI involve only Ti—C vibrations. The fact that only the latter two exist after etching confirms both the mode assignments, but more importantly the loss of Al from the structure. Note that peaks V and VI are combined, broadened and downshifted after reaction.

The Ti 2p XPS spectra, before and after treatment, are shown in FIG. 4C. The C1s and Ti 2p peaks before treatment match previous work on Ti₃AlC₂. See, e.g., S. Myhra, et al., Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 2001, 62, 811, which is incorporated by reference herein. The presence of Ti—C and Ti—O bonds was evident from both spectra, indicating the formation of Ti₃C₂(OH)₂ after treatment. The Al and F peaks (not shown) were also observed and their concentrations were calculated to be around 3 at. % and 12 at. %, respectively. Aluminum fluoride (AlF₃)—a reaction product, see below—can probably account for most of the F signal seen in the spectra. The O is main signal (not shown at ˜530.3 cm⁻¹) suggest the presence of OH group. See, e.g., M. Schmidt, S. G. Steinemann, Fresenius' Journal of Analytical Chemistry 1991, 341, 412, which is also incorporated by reference herein.

A SEM image of a 1500 μm³ Ti₃AlC₂ particle (FIG. 4D) shows how the basal planes fan out and spread apart as a result of the HF treatment. EDAX of the particles showed them to be comprised of Ti, C, O and F, with little, or no, Al. This implies that the Al layers were replaced by oxygen (i.e. OH) and/or F. Note that the exfoliated particles maintained the pseudo-ductility of Ti₃AlC₂ and could be easily cold press into freestanding disks (FIG. 4E). This property can prove crucial in some potential applications, such as anodes for Li-ion batteries, as described above.

TEM analysis of exfoliated sheets (FIGS. 5A and 5B) shows them to be quite thin and transparent to electrons since the carbon grid is clearly seen below them. This fact strongly suggests a very thin foil, especially considering the high atomic number of Ti. The corresponding selected area diffraction, SAD (inset in FIG. 5B) shows the hexagonal symmetry of the basal planes. EDAX of the same flake showed the presence of Ti, C, O, and F. FIGS. 5C and 5D show cross-sections of exfoliated single- and double-layer MXene sheets. FIGS. 5E and 5F show high-resolution TEM micrographs and a simulated structure of two adjacent OH-terminated Ti₃C₂ sheets, respectively. The experimentally observed interplanar distances and angles are found to be in good agreement with the calculated structure. FIGS. 6A and 6B show stacked multilayer MXene sheets. The exfoliated layers can apparently also be rolled into conical shapes (FIG. 6D); some are bent to radii of <20 nm (FIG. 6E). Note that if Al atoms had been replaced by C atoms, the concomitant formation of strong Ti—C bonds—as when, for example, Ti₃SiC₂ reacts with cryolite at 900° C.—exfoliation would not have been possible. It follows that the reaction must have resulted in a solid in which the Ti—Al bonds are replaced by much weaker hydrogen or van der Waals bonds. This comment notwithstanding, the EDAX results consistently show the presence of F in the reaction products implying that, as noted above, the terminations are most likely a mixture of F and OH. The presence of up to 12 at. % F has also been confirmed using XPS. In the latter case, however, some of it could originate from AlF₃ residue in the sample.

Lastly, it is instructive to point out the similarities between MXene and graphene such as,

• • (i) the exfoliation of 2-D Ti₃C₂ layers (FIGS. 6A and 6B) into multilayer sheets that resemble exfoliated graphite, see L. M. Viculis, et al., Journal of Materials Chemistry 2005, 15, 974, which is incorporated by reference herein.
  • (ii) the formation of scrolls (FIGS. 6D and 6E).

Also, as cross-sectional TEM (FIG. 6E) shows, some nanosheets were bent to radii<20 nm without fracture, which is evidence for strong and flexible Ti₃C₂ layers. Similar scrolls were produced by sonication of graphene. See, e.g., L. M. Viculis, et al., Science 2003, 299, 1361; M. V. Savoskin, et al., Carbon 2007, 45, 2797, both of which are incorporated by reference herein. It is possible that the sonication used for exfoliation caused some nanosheets to roll into scrolls, as schematically shown in FIG. 6F.

Example 3

Experimental Characterization of the Product of the Reaction Between Ta₄AlC₃ and Aqueous HF—Ta₄C₃(OH)_x(F)_y

Ta₄AlC₃ powder (ca. 10 g) was immersed in approximately 100 mL of a 50% concentrated hydrofluoric acid, HF, (Fisher Scientific, Fair Lawn, N.J.) solution at room temperature for 72 h. The resulting suspension was then washed several times using deionized water and centrifuged to separate the powders.

XRD analysis of the resulting material showed sharp peaks corresponding only to TaC, known to be an impurity in the starting material (i.e., in addition to peaks attributable to TaC, the XRD spectrum contained only broad peaks centered around 2θ values of ca. 6° and 34-36°). However, the XRD spectrum of a sample obtained by cold pressing the resulting material, showed strong, albeit broadened peaks at about 2θ=5.7° and 6.8° (apparently shifted from 2θ˜7.5 in XRD of Ta₄AlC₃), smaller peaks at about 2θ=13° (apparently shifted from 2θ˜15° in XRD of Ta₄AlC₃), 26°, and 29°, and broad, albeit low intensity peaks centered at about 2θ=27-30° and 36°, none of which appear to correspond to TaC, but which are interpreted as being consistent with simulated spectra of Ta₄C₃(OH)₂. Compared with the XRD spectra of the original XRD spectrum of Ta₄AlC₃ (and its an accompanying pattern simulated by CrystalMaker®), the XRD pattern of the cold-pressed material also showed no evidence of otherwise distinguishing peaks at 2θ˜22°, 29.5°.

An illustrative XRD spectrum for an exfoliated, characterized to be Ta₄C₃(OH)_x(F)_y, are shown in FIG. 10.

Example 4

Experimental Characterization of the Product of the Reaction Between Ti₂AlC and Aqueous HF Ti₂C(OH)_x(F)_y

Ti₂AlC powder (Kanthal Corp., Sweden) was immersed in approximately 100 mL of a 10% concentrated hydrofluoric acid, HF, (Fisher Scientific, Fair Lawn, N.J.) solution at room temperature for 10 h. The resulting suspension was then washed several times using deionized water and centrifuged to separate the powders. SEM micrographs and XRD spectra of the resulting materials are shown in FIG. 8.

Example 5

Experimental Characterization of the Product of the Reaction Between TiNbAlC and Aqueous HF)—TiNbC (OH)_x(F)_y

The TiNbAlC powders were made by mixing elemental titanium, Ti (Alfa Aesar, Ward Hill, USA, 99.5 wt % purity; 325 mesh), niobium, Nb (Atlantic Equipment Engineers, Bergenfield, USA, 99.8 wt % purity; 325 mesh), and the same Al and C used above, in the molar ratio of 1:1:1.2:1, respectively, in a ball mill for 12 h. The powders were then heated at the rate of 10° C./min in a tube furnace to 1500° C. for 1 h under flowing Ar. After cooling to room temperature, powders were processed as described above (see Table 1). SEM micrographs and XRD spectra of the resulting materials are shown in FIG. 9.

The XRD patterns for TiNbAlC, before and after HF treatment (FIG. 9), show that the intensity of the TiNbAlC peaks decreased significantly after HF treatment (considering that 10 wt % Si was used as an internal reference) and a new broad peak at ≈11.8° 2θ appeared after cold pressing. Here again a shoulder at a larger d spacing compared to the main peak is observed. The latter is most likely due to some exfoliated (Ti_0.5, Nb_0.5)₃AlC₂ that was present as a second phase in the starting powder. SEM micrographs (FIG. 9) clearly show exfoliated TiNbAlC particles. TEM micrographs, after sonication (not shown), show thin sheets composed of Ti, Nb, C, O, and F in an atomic ratio that EDX shows to be 14:16:23:34:13, respectively. HRTEM of a TiNbC layer (not shown) and its corresponding SAED again show hexagonal symmetry. At 0.2606 nm, the perpendicular separation of the (1010) lattice planes results in an a lattice constant of 0.301 nm. EELS for TiNbAlC after HF treatment and confirms the presence of Ti, Nb, C, F (not shown), and O, but no Al.

Example 6

Experimental Characterization of the Product of the Reaction Between (V_1/2Cr_1/2)₃AlC₂ and Aqueous HF)—(V_1/2Cr_1/2)₃C₂(OH)_x(F)_y

(V_1/2Cr_1/2)₃AlC₂ powder was made by ball milling powders of 1.5V+1.5Cr+1.2Al+2C (molar ratios) for 12 hours, then heating the mixture under Ar to 1550° C., soaking at this temperature for 2 hours, and cooling to room temperature, after which a powder was obtained from the sintered mass using diamond coated milling bit. The powders were then exfoliated by stirring them in 50% aqueous HF at room temperature for 65 hr (5 gm powder in 50 mL acid). SEM micrographs and XRD spectra of the resulting materials are shown in FIGS. 14-16.

Example 7

Experimental Characterization of the Product of the Reaction Between Ti₃Al(CN) and Aqueous HF—Ti₃(CN) (OH)_a(F)_b

Ti₃Al(CN) powder was prepared was made by ball milling Ti:AlN:C=3:1:1 (molar ratios) for 12 hours, then heating the mixture at 10° C./min to 1500° C., holding 2 hours, then cooling, all under Argon (C and Ti powders were purchased from Alfa Aesar, Ward Hill, Mass.). AN powder was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. The resulting material was crushed using mortar and pestle. The resulting powder was immersed and stirred in 30% concentrated hydrofluoric acid, HF, (Fisher Scientific, Fair Lawn, N.J.) solution at room temperature for 18 h. The resulting suspension was then washed several times using deionized water and centrifuged to separate the powders. SEM micrographs and XRD spectra of the resulting materials are shown in FIGS. 11-13.

Example 8

Effect of Chemical Exfoliation Processing Conditions on Formation and Yield of MXene Compositions

Starting with Ti₃AlC₂ powders as a representative material, a series of experiments were conducted to determine the effects of various process parameters on the chemical exfoliation of MAX phase materials to form the corresponding MXene compositions. In evaluating the effect of temperature on exfoliation, Ti₃AlC₂ powders were stirred in 50% aqueous HF for 2 hours at different temperatures (e.g., 20, 30, 40, 50, and 65° C.). The effect of processing time was studied by stirring Ti₃AlC₂ powders with 50% aqueous HF for 2 hours at room temperature over the time range of 2 to 19 hours. In testing the effect of initial particle size, Ti₃AlC₂ powders were crushed in ball milling machine and separated with sieves first, then exfoliated by stirring with 50% aqueous HF at room temperature for 2 hours. FIGS. 19, 20, 21, and 22 illustrate the effect of HF temperature, time of treatment, and initial particle size, respectively. The specific conditions employed, where different than those described above, are provided in each figure.

TABLE 1
List of MAX Phases Exfoliated in This Work and Exfoliation
Process Parametersa
			c lattice constant
	HF		(nm)	Domain
	Conc	Time	Before	After	size	Yield
Compound	(%)	(hr)	HF	HF	(nm)	(wt %)
Ti2AlC	10	10	1.36	4.504	6	60
Ta4AlC3	50	72	2.408	3.034	38	90
				2.843	18
TiNbAlC	50	28	1.379	1.488	5	80
(V0.5Cr0.5)3AlC2	50	69	1.773	2.426	28	NA
Ti3AlCN	30	18	1.841	2.228	7	80
Ti3AlC2	30	2	1.842	2.051	11	100
Nb2AlC	50	90	1.388	2.234	5	100
Nb4AlC3	50	90	2.419	3.047	27	100
V2AlC	50	90	1.313	1.973	10	60
Mo2GaC	50	96	1.317	2.021	15	NA
aThe particle size for all MAX phases was <35 μm prior to exfoliation. The effects of HF treatment on the c lattice constant and the average domain size along [0001] deduced from the FWHM and the Scherrer formula are listed. The penultimate column shows the estimated process yields.

Example 9

Preparation of MXene Compositions by the Electrochemical Exfoliation of MAX Phase Materials

Ti₂SnC was made by ball milling 2Ti+Sn+C (molar ratios) for 12 hr, then heating the mixture at a ramp rate of 10° C./minute to 1250° C., holding for 2 hours and cooling to room temperature, all under Ar atmosphere. The resulting material was crushed using mortar and pestle to form a powder (Ti, Sn, and C powders were purchased from Alfa Aesar, Ward Hill, Mass.). Exfoliation of Ti₂SnC was demonstrated by selectively electrochemically removing Sn upon application of a repeated sequence composed of a short cathodic polarization (either potentiostatic or galvanostatic) followed by a long anodic polarization (either potentiostatic or galvanostatic) to an electrochemical system (see FIG. 25 for a representative set of conditions; SWPP=square wave potential polarization; SWCP=square wave current polarization. Δm_tot refers to the loss in sample weight as a result of the electrochemical treatment). In this system, a hot pressed sample of Ti₂SnC was used as the anode, and Pt was used as the reference and working electrode. The electrolyte was either aqueous 5 M or 12 M HCl, and high purity Ar gas was constantly purged through the working solution to maintain an inert atmosphere.

The rapid electrochemical corrosion of the anode material resulted in the formation of a finely dispersed powder which was collected at the bottom of the reaction vessel, washed with deionized water, and dried. The dried powder was subjected to a series of tests, the results of which are shown in FIGS. 25-28. FIG. 26 shows the dramatic difference in Raman spectra between the product (curves a and b) and the starting material (curves c-e), consistent with the changes seen in other similar transformations (compare, for example, the curves in FIG. 4B). Similarly, changes in the XRD spectra (FIG. 27A-C) are indicative of the absence of starting material. Finally, EDX spectra shown in FIG. 28(A-C) show that the powder is devoid of appreciable Sn, confirming its elimination (Note: the presence of O in these EDX spectra is consistent with a surface coating of the MXene comprising oxide or hydroxide. The presence of Si in the spectra is attributed to the substrate used in the measurement.

Example 10

Intercalation of Lithium and Use of Ti₃C₂ in Batteries

The electrochemical behavior of MXene compositions (exfoliated MX phase compositions) was compared to the corresponding MAX phase material in lithium ion battery tests. [The electrolyte used was a mixture of ethylene carbonate and dimethyl carbonate (EC/DMC) with lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF₆). After cell assembly inside a glove box, both Galvanostatic (GV) and Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) tests were used to study the electrochemical behavior of MAX phases in Li batteries. These electrochemical tests were carried out using a BioLogic VMP-4 potentiostat/galvanostat.] Electrodes were prepared using MAX phase and MXene compositions in a number of electrode configurations, including (a) cold pressed electrode with neither binder nor carbon black; (b) film of powder on copper foil with binder and without carbon black; (c) film f powder on copper foil with binder and carbon black; and (d) film of carbon black alone with a polyvinylidene-difluoride, PVDF, binder. CV and GV techniques were used to characterize the electrochemical nature of the resulting electrodes/cells. FIG. 29(A/B) shows the results where the performance of electrodes prepared using carbon black (CB) and binder, comparing the additional presence of Ti₃AlC₂ and exfoliated Ti₃AlC₂; i.e., MXene Ti₃C₂(OH)_x(F)_y. As shown in FIG. 29, the capacity of the MXene containing compositions showed significantly higher capacity an order of magnitude higher) than a comparable electrode made from the corresponding MAX phase material. It is known that lithium capacity in MAX phase materials is extremely low, owing to the lack of space between the layers into which ions may migrate. The significant increase in capacity with the electrodes containing the MXene composition results are consistent with the migration/intercalation of lithium within the stacked layers of MXene

Example 11

Intercalation of Lithium and Use of Ti₂C in Batteries

Testing comparable to that described in Example 10 with Ti₃C₂ (derived from Ti₃AlC₂) was also done with Ti₂C derived from Ti₂AlC. As described below, testing demonstrated the insertion of Li into a new two-dimensional (2-D) layered Ti₂C-based material (MXene) with an oxidized surface, formed by etching Al from Ti₂AlC in HF at room temperature. Nitrogen sorption of treated powders showed desorption hysteresis consistent with the presence of slit-like pores. At 23 m²·g⁻¹, the specific surface area was an order of magnitude higher than untreated Ti₂AlC. Cyclic voltammetry exhibited lithiation and delithiation peaks at 1.6 V and 2 V vs. Li⁺/Li, respectively. At C/25, the steady state capacity was 225 mAh·g¹; at 1 C, it was 110 mAh·g¹ after 80 cycles; at 3 C, it was 80 mAhg¹ after 120 cycles; at 10 C, it was 70 mAh·g¹ after 200 cycles.

Pre-reacted, −325 mesh, Ti₂AlC powders were commercially obtained (3-ONE-2, Voorhees, N.J., >92 wt. % purity). The exfoliation process was carried by immersing the Ti₂AlC powder in diluted (10%) hydrofluoric acid, HF, (Fisher Scientific, Fair Lawn, N.J.) for 10 h at room temperature, as described above. The materials were characterized by SEM (Zeiss Supra 50VP, Germany), EDS (Oxford Inca X-Sight, Oxfordshire, UK), and gas sorption analysis (Quantachrome Autosorb-1 with N₂ adsorbate) as described above (i.e., samples were outgassed under vacuum at 200° C. for 48 h. Nitrogen sorption analysis at 77 K was used for calculating the specific surface area (SSA) using the Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) equation).

X-ray diffraction, XRD, of the reacted powders indicated that the Al was selectively etched from the structure. EDS confirmed that the Al layers were replaced by O and F. SEM images of Ti₂AlC particles after HF treatment (FIG. 30(a) resemble images of exfoliated graphite and clearly show HF-induced delamination that are typical of MXenes.

The N₂ sorption isotherm of the treated powders (FIG. 30(b)) has a hysteresis loop with indications of the presence of mesopores and a shape typical for slit pores. The SSA calculated using the BET equation, for the HF treated Ti₂AlC was 23 m²·g¹. This value is about an order of magnitude times higher than the as-received Ti₂AlC powders measured at ≈2.5 m²·g⁻¹.

The electrochemical behavior of exfoliated Ti₂AlC in Li batteries was investigated using coin cells (CR 2016) prepared as follows. The working electrodes were made with 80 wt % Ti₂C (as described above) and 10 wt. % Super P carbon black mixed with 10 wt. % Poly(vinylidene fluoride) dissolved in 1-Methyl-2-pyrrolidinone. The mixture was then spread onto a copper foil and dried at ca. 200° C. for 12 h, under a mechanical vacuum. CR 2016 coin-type cells were assembled using MXene as the positive electrode and Li metal foil as the negative electrode, separated by a sheet of borosilicate glass fiber (Whatman GF/A) separator saturated with 1 M LiPF₆ solution in a 1:1 weight mixture of ethylene carbonate and diethyl carbonate (EC:DEC) as the electrolyte. The cells were assembled inside an Ar-filled glove box with H₂O and O₂ contents <1 ppm, to avoid any moisture contamination.

The cells were subjected to cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge cycling using a potentiostat (VMP4, Biologic, S.A.). Electrochemical characterization was typically performed between 0.05 V and 2.5 V vs. Li⁺/Li.

Typical cyclic voltammetry curves, at a rate of 0.2 mV·s¹, for the exfoliated Ti₂C are shown in FIG. 31A. A broad, irreversible peak was observed around 0.6 V, during the first lithiation cycle (reduction); it was absent in subsequent cycles. This irreversible peak was assigned to the formation of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and to an irreversible reaction with the electrode material. In all subsequent cycles, broad reversible peaks were observed at 1.6 V and 2.0 V vs. Li⁺/Li during lithiation and de-lithiation, respectively. Because these peak potentials are similar to those reported for TiO₂ and lithiated titania, these peaks were tentatively assigned to the following redox reaction:

Ti₂CO_x+yLi⁺+ye⁻Li_yTi₂CO_x  (1)

The rationale for this assignment is that drying at 200° C., prior to assembling the coin cells, rids MXene of water or any OH species and leads to an oxygen terminated surface. In other words, the assumption is made that the Ti₂CO_x surface is similar to that of titania. Like in the case of the titanates, even if the potentials vs. Li are relatively high, it is an advantage from a safety stand point. Ex situ XRD results (not shown) after lithiation produced no new peaks, but a downshift of the MXene peaks was observed, with an increase of the c parameter by 19.5% which indicates intercalation of Li between the MXene layers, and not a conversion reaction.

FIG. 31B shows the galvanostatic charge/discharge curves at a rate of C/10 (1 Li⁺ per formulae exchanged in 10 h). The capacity loss in the first cycle can again be attributed to a SEI layer formation at potentials below 0.9V vs. Li⁺/Li, as well as to the irreversible reduction of electrochemically active surface groups such as fluorine or possibly hydroxyls. The specific capacity stabilized after five cycles at 160 mAh·g⁻¹. This value corresponds to y≈0.75 in reaction 1.

At 160 mAhg⁻¹, the capacity of the treated powders is about 5 times higher than that of the as-received Ti₂AlC (ca. 30 mAh·g⁻¹ at C/10) powders. This increase in capacity is traceable to the higher surface area, more open structure and weaker bonds between the MX layers after HF treatment. In addition to the morphological changes, the Li insertion sites are also now different (i.e. the site binding energies) which could also explain the differences in capacity.

The specific capacities vs. cycle number at different cycling rates (C/25, C/6, 1 C, 3 C, and 10 C) calculated from galvanostatic curves are shown in FIG. 31C. The highest capacity was obtained at a rate of C/25. The specific capacity values stabilize after 5 cycles, for all scan rates. At a C/25 rate, the capacity is 225 mAh·g⁻¹, which corresponds to y≈1. At rates of 1 C and 3 C, the capacities, after 80 cycles, were, respectively, 110 mAh·g⁻¹ and 80 mAh·g⁻¹. Even at rates of 10 C, a stable capacity of 70 mAh·g⁻¹ was obtained for more than 200 cycles. These results clearly demonstrate that it is possible to stably electrochemically intercalate Li⁺ ions in the interlayer spaces between exfoliated Ti₂C sheets, and achieve stability.

The exfoliated Ti₂C, produced by HF treatment of Ti₂AlC powders, showed reversible capacity about 5 times higher than pristine Ti₂AlC, due to its open structure, weaker interlaminar forces, and higher SSA. Electrochemical measurements showed intercalation and deintercalation of Li⁺ ions at 1.6 V and 2 V vs. Li⁺/Li, respectively. The exfoliated Ti₂C material exhibited a stable capacity of 225 mAh·g¹ at a C/25 rate, corresponding to about one Li per Ti₂CO_x formula unit. A stable cycling capacity of 80 mAh·g¹ was observed after 120 cycles at a 3 C rate, and 70 mAh·g¹ was observed after 200 cycles at a 10 C rate.

Example 12

Intercalation of Lithium and Use of Other MXenes in Batteries

Similar experiments with Ti₃CN, TiNbC, Nb₂C, V₂C, and Ta₄C₃ have also shown that these materials can also be intercalated with Li and used in lithium ion batteries.

To explore the feasibility of using Nb₂CT_s and V₂CT_s as electrodes in lithium ion batteries (LIBs), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge cycling (GV) were carried out. The CV curves for Nb₂CT_s showed no significant lithiation and delithiation capacity at voltages higher than 2.5 V. Hence, the GV for Nb₂CT_s was carried out between 0 and 2.5 V against Li/Li⁺. The voltage profile for Nb₂CT_s at 1 C cycling rate yielded a first cycle capacity of ˜422 mA·h·g⁻¹. The second cycle capacity was about 250 mA·h·g⁻¹. Without intending to be bound by the correctness of any particular theory, the reason for the first cycle irreversibility could be due to solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation or due to irreversible reaction of Li with the surface groups and/or water molecules in the as-synthesized MXene. In principle, this irreversibility could be minimized by controlling the surface chemistry of MXene or by prelithiating the electrode material. After 100 cycles, a reversible capacity of 170 mA·h·g⁻¹ was obtained.

Because the CV for V₂CT_s showed a large capacity close to 3 V, this material was tested between 0 and 3 V against Li/Li⁺. The first cycle capacity was found to be 380 mA·h·g⁻¹ and the reversible capacity 210 mA·h·g⁻¹. Intriguingly, the V₂CT_s, produced by etching attrition milled V₂AlC, showed >30% enhancement in Li uptake compared to V₂CT_s produced from unmilled V₂AlC. This might be explained by the decreased particle size, facilitating Li diffusion between the layers. A reversible capacity of 288 mA·h·g⁻¹ was obtained instead of 210 mA·h·g⁻¹ at the same cycling rate of 1 C after 50 cycles. A reversible capacity of 260 mA·h·g⁻¹ was obtained for the V₂CT_s, produced by etching attrition milled V₂AlC, after 150 cycles.

More than ⅔ of the reversible lithiation capacity for Nb₂CT_s was below 1 V, while for both Ti₃C₂ and Ti₂C, the capacities below 1 V were about ½ of the reversible capacity. Conversely, in the case of V₂CT_s, less than ½ of the reversible lithiation capacity is below 1 V and more than ⅔ of the delithiation capacity is at voltages higher than 1.5 V. This is an important finding since it shows that each MXene has its own active voltage window. With the variety of possible MXenes chemistries, selection of an optimum MXene for a required voltage window can in principle be achieved. That is, some MXenes could function better as anodes, while others could, in principle, be used as cathode materials for lithium ion batteries. Both Nb₂CT_s and V₂CT_s (produced by HF treatment of attrition milled V₂AlC powders at RT for 8 h) were shown to be capable of handling high cycling rates. At 10° C., capacities of 110 mA·h·g⁻¹ for Nb₂CT_s and 125 mA·h·g⁻¹ for V₂CT_s were obtained after 150 cycles. These values were much higher than what was reported for commercial graphite when charged and discharged at 10° C. (graphite loses more than 80% of its theoretical capacity at 10° C.). The high rate capability could be explained by the low Li diffusion barrier in Mxenes. The coulombic efficiency at the reversible capacity was about 99.6% for Nb₂CT_s at 10° C. For V₂CT_s, the coulombic efficiency varied between 98% and 100%. Although the reversible capacity of MXenes at high cycling rates (i.e., 10° C.) was comparable to titania based anodes, the latter have maximum theoretical capacities of the order of 170 mA·h·g⁻¹ even at slow scan rates, while V₂CT_s (produced from milled V₂AlC) has a reversible capacity of 260 mA·h·g⁻¹ at 1° C. The results obtained herein were obtained on just synthesized and not well purified compounds and should thus be considered quite preliminary. The higher rate performances, however, were encouraging and suggest that Nb₂CT_s and V₂CT_s can be used as promising electrode materials in lithium ion batteries, especially for high power applications. For example, the Li-capacities of additives-free fully delaminated Ti₃C₂T_s electrodes were roughly 4 times those of nondelaminated Ti₃C₂T_s.

Example 13

Intercalation of Sodium, Potassium, Ammonium, Magnesium, and Aluminum Ions

The examples provided herein for the intercalation of various ions use Ti₃C₂T_s as a convenient template for investigation. It should be appreciated that the results described herein are expected to be reproducible with other MXene materials, and embodiments include those wherein the intercalation is described more generally with respect to these other MXene materials. That is, other specific embodiments include the other MXene materials described herein intercalated with the ions described herein, and the articles derived from such intercalated materials.

Example 13.1

Materials and Methods

Ti₃C₂T_s (where T_s stands for surface termination, such as OH, O or F bonded to Ti atoms) was synthesized by exfoliating the corresponding MAX phases with “A” element etched away. Ti₃AlC₂ powder with particle size less than 38 μm was treated with 50% aqueous HF solution (Fisher Scientific, Fair Lawn, N.J.) at room temperature (RT), for 18 h. The resulting suspensions were washed six to seven times using deionized water and separated from remaining HF by centrifuging until the pH of the liquid reached around 5. The wet sediment was moved to a wide-mouth jar by ethanol and dried in air for 3 to 4 days. Then the obtained Ti₃C₂T_s was placed into capped glass vials and stored at ambient conditions for further experiments.

Electrodes were prepared by mechanical processing of the pre-mixed slurry, containing ethanol (190 proof, Decon Laboratories, Inc.), Ti₃C₂T_s powder, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) binder (60 wt. % in H₂O, Aldrich) and onion-like carbon (OLC) (28), which was added to create a conductive network in-between the particles (MXene is anisotropic: good in-sheet conductivity, poor conductivity between the sheets). Resulting electrodes which were used for all experiments contained: 85 wt. % of the Ti₃C₂T_s, 10 wt. % of OLC, 5 wt. % of PTFE and had thickness of 75-100 μm and mass density per unit area of 7-9 mg/cm2. (1)

To intercalate Ti₃C₂T_s, 0.15 g of the powder was suspended in 5 ml of 30 wt. % aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide, potassium acetate, lithium acetate, sodium acetate, sodium formate, sodium citrate, and zinc sulfate; 25, 20 and 10 wt. % aqueous solution of magnesium sulfate, sodium sulfate and potassium sulfate, respectively; 30% aqueous solutions of acetic acid, sulfuric acid, and ammonium hydroxide. Then, the mixtures were stirred for 24 h with a magnetic stirrer at room temperature, RT. Afterwards, the resulting colloidal solutions were filtered through a polyester membrane (25 mm diameter, 3 μm pore size, Osmonics Inc., Minnetonka, Minn., USA) and dried in a desiccator under vacuum (<10 Torr) at RT.

To obtain few-layer Ti₃C₂T_s, multilayered Ti₃C₂T_s was stirred with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for 18 h at room temperature, then the colloidal suspension was centrifuged to separate the intercalated powder from the liquid DMSO. After decantation of the supernatant, deionized water was added to the residue in a weight ratio of MXene to water of 1:500. Then the suspension was sonicated under Ar for 4 h, and centrifuged for 1 h with 3500 rpm. At last, the supernatant was decantated and filtered using a porous MF-millipore mixed cellulose ester membrane filter (47 mm diameter, 0.025 μm pore size, Fisher Scientific, Fair Lawn, N.J., USA) and dried in a desiccator under vacuum (<10 Torr) at RT for 24 h, resulting in MXene paper that detaches easily from the membrane 2 and can be further used as a free-standing electrode. The tickness of the MXene paper varied from 2 to 20 μm. Mass density per unit area of tested electrodes was 2-3 mg/cm2.

The following ionic compounds were used for intercalation into Ti₃C₂T_s: potassium hydroxide (≧85.0%, Fisher Chemical, Fair Lawn, N.J., USA), potassium sulfate (certified ACS crystalline, Fisher Scientific, Fair Lawn, N.J., USA), potassium acetate (ACS reagent grade, MP Biomedicals, LLC, Solon, Ohio, USA), lithium acetate anhydrous (≧99%, Acros Organics, Fair Lawn, N.J., USA), sodium acetate anhydrous (≧99.0%, Alfa Aesar, Ward Hill, Mass., USA), sodium formate (>99.0%, Alfa Aesar, Ward Hill, Mass., USA), sodium citrate tribasic dehydrate (>98%, Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, Mo., USA), sodium sulfate anhydrous (99.7%, Acros Organics, Fair Lawn, N.J., USA), magnesium sulfate (≧99.5%, Alfa Aesar, Ward Hill, Mass., USA), zinc sulfate heptahydrate (≧99.0%, Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, Mo., USA). Ammonium hydroxide (28-30 wt. % in water, Fisher Scientific, Fair Lawn, N.J., USA), acetic acid (99.8%, Acros Organics, Fair Lawn, N.J., USA), and sulfuric acid (50%, Ricca Chemical Company, Arlington, Tex., USA) were also used as intercalants.

The following salts were used as electrolytes in electrochemical experiments: potassium hydroxide (≧85.0%, Fisher Chemical, Fair Lawn, N.J., USA), potassium sulfate (certified ACS crystalline, Fisher Scientific, Fair Lawn, N.J., USA), sodium acetate anhydrous (≧99.0%, Alfa Aesar, Ward Hill, Mass., USA), sodium hydroxide (>98%, Alfa Aesar, Shore Road, Heysham, Lancs UK), sodium nitrate (≧99%, Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, Mo., USA), magnesium nitrate hexahydrate (≧99%, Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, Mo., USA), magnesium sulfate (≧99.5%, Alfa Aesar, Ward Hill, Mass., USA), aluminum sulfate hydrate (≧98.0%, Fluka, St. Louis, Mo., USA), ammonium sulfate (≧99.0%, Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, Mo., USA), and lithium sulfate (≧98.5%, Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, Mo., USA).

Activated carbon film electrodes were prepared following the same procedure as for the Ti₃C₂T_s electrodes, but without any conductive additive. Resulting AC electrodes composition was 95 wt. % of YP-50 activated carbon (Kuraray, Japan) and 5 wt. % of the PTFE. They had thickness of 100-150 μm and mass density per unit area of 10-25 mg/cm².

All electrochemical measurements were performed in 3-electrode Swagelok cells, where MXene served as working electrode, over-capacitive activated carbon films were used as counter electrode and Ag/AgCl in 1 M KCl as a reference in order to precisely control electrochemical potentials.

Cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and galvanostatic cycling were performed using a VMP3 potentiostat (Biologic, France).

Cyclic voltammetry was performed using scan rates from 1 mV/s to 1000 mV/s. Diapasons of cycling were chosen using the following principles:

1) As starting potential, open circuit potential right after assembly of the cell was chosen.

2) Minimum potential was chosen by subsequent CV series with increasing lower limit, with the end at the lower limit minimum potential, at which no electrolyte decomposition was observed.

The reason for choosing OCP as upper limit is to avoid oxidation of the material in aqueous electrolytes which would lead to higher resistance and lower resulting capacitance (see FIG. 37).

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was performed at open circuit potential with a 10 mV amplitude between 10 mHz and 200 kHz.

Galvanostatic cycling was performed at 0.1 and 1 A/g with potential limits selected specifically for each electrolyte: from −0.5 to 1 V vs. Ag/AgCl for 1 M KCl, from 0 to −0.7 V vs. Ag/AgCl for 1 M MgSO₄ and 1 M NaOAc.

X-Ray diffraction patterns were recorded with a powder diffractometer (Rigaku SmartLab) using Cu Kα radiation (λ=1.54 Å) with 0.01° 2θ steps and 6 s dwelling time. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis were performed on Zeiss Supra 50 VP (Carl Zeiss SMT AG, Oberkochen, Germany).

XRD patterns of the Ti₃C₂T_s electrodes were collected on a Brucker D8 diffractometer using a Cu Kα radiation (λ=1.5406 Å) in the range 2θ=5-20° with a step of 0.02°. The sample was placed in a 2-electrode Swagelok-type cell and covered with a Mylar window to avoid electrolyte evaporation, allowing in-situ XRD recording (cell from LRCS, Amiens University). A MXene film, a mixture of 90% Ti₃C₂T_s, 5% PTFE and 5% carbon black served as the working electrode, and was pressed on a nickel foam current collector and dried at 120° C. Over-capacitive activated carbon films were used as counter electrode. Cyclic voltammetry advanced technique was used in order to control the cell potential. The scans were recorded each 0.2 V after linear sweep at 1 mV/s.

Theoretical specific surface area calculations for Ti₃C₂(OH)₂ and estimation of the number of layers in multilayer exfoliated Ti₃C₂T_s and few-layer Ti₃C₂T_s:

Area of one lattice=Lattice parameters a×b×sin(60°)=3.0581 Å×3.0588 Å×(3)^0.5/2×10⁻²⁰=8.1E-20 m².

Each layer in the cell has 3 Ti, 2 C, 2 O, and 2 H. Then the weight of the layer in the cell=[201.64 g/mole]/[6.023E²³ atoms/mole]=3.3478E-22 g. The SSA=8.1×10⁻²⁰/3.3478×10⁻²²=241.97 m²/g (one side). Then the SSA of a Single layer (2 sides) of Ti₃C₂(OH)₂ will be 483.94 m²/g.

These calculations ignore the presence of edges and defects.

Experimental SSA for MXene paper and its corresponding number of layers:

98 m²/g using N₂ yielded ca. 5 layers128 m²/g using CO₂ yielded ca. 4 layers167 m²/g using Ar yielded ca. 3 layer

For stacked Ti₃C₂T_s, experimental SSA calculated from nitrogen sorption, is 23 m²/g, which translated to ca. 21 layers in an average MXene lamella.

Calculations of volumetric power and energy densities of electrode and cell:

C=(∫jdV)/s/V [F/cm³]

E=0.5C*V³/3600 [Wh/cm³]

P=E*s/V*3600 [Wh/cm³]

where C-normalized capacitance [F/cm³], j-current density [A/cm³], s-scan rate [V/s], voltage window [V], similarly calculations of the gravimetric properties was performed, but gravimetric capacitance and current density were used instead.

Example 13.2

A large number of salts, bases, and acids were explored under conditions described in the Schematic of FIG. 32. See also Table 2.

TABLE 2
Changes in c-lattice parameters acter intercalation of
Ti3C2Ts with ions. Value of Δ (third column) indicates the
increase in c-lattice parameter of Ti3C2Ts after intercalation
(second column) compared to initial c value of 20.3 Å
	Intercalatant	c, Å	Δ,
Intercalatants which possess a basic character when
dissolved in water
	Potassium hydroxide	25.4	5.1
	Ammonium hydroxide	25.3	5.0
	Sodium carbonate	25.3	4.8
	Sodium hydroxide	25.1	4.6
	Sodium formate	24.9	4.6
	Sodium citrate	24.9	4.5
	Sodium acetate	24.8	4.3
	Potassium acetate	24.6	4.2
	Lithium acetate	24.5
Interalatants which possess a nearly neutral character when
dissolved in water
	Zinc sulfate	21.7	1.4
	Potassium sulfate	21.4	1.1
	Magnesium sulfate	21.3	1.0
	Sodium sulfate	21.0	0.7

X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed that, after placing the Ti₃C₂T_s in various salt solutions (FIG. 33, A to C), there was a downshift in the (0002) peak position. This downshift shows that in all cases, there was an increase in the c-lattice parameter. For example, the c value of Ti₃C₂T_s increased from 20.3 Å to as much as 25.4 Å when placed in potassium hydroxide (KOH) and ammonium hydroxide (NH₄OH) solutions (FIG. 33A). In addition to the compounds listed in FIG. 33, A to C, other salts intercalated spontaneously when the MXene powders were immersed in sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), or lithium hydroxide (LiOH) solutions.

Not all salts behaved similarly. In the case of high-pH solutions such as KOH, NH₄OH, NaOH, LiOH, and several others (Table 2), the changes in the interplanar spacing were large (FIG. 33A). Conversely, close-to-neutral solutions such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium sulfates resulted in smaller changes in c (FIG. 33B; see also Table 2). No shift in the (0002) peak positions was observed when Ti₃C₂T_s was immersed in acetic or sulfuric acid.

To shed light on whether the cations or anions intercalated the Ti₃C₂T_s layers, three sodium salts with differing anion radii were tested. The results (FIG. 33C) showed that the c-axis expansions were comparable and independent of anion radii. Furthermore, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy analysis of Ti₃C₂T_s after treatment in the different sulfate salts (FIG. 33B) confirmed the presence of the cations; sulfur was not detected (Table 3), confirming that it is the cations that intercalate between the Ti₃C₂T_s layers.

TABLE 3
Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis of Ti3C2Tx
powder before and after intercalation
	Atomic %
					Cation of
Material	Ti	C	O	F	electrolyte	S
Ti3C2Tx	30.0	14.8	16.0	18.9	—	—
Ti3C2Tx + KOH	30.0	21.2	30.9	11.4	3.2	—
Ti3C2Tx + NaOAc	30.0	16.2	18.2	27.4	5.5	—
Ti3C2Tx + K2SO4	30.0	17.8	8.4	15.4	1.4	0.0
Ti3C2Tx + Na2SO4	30.0	17.5	12.9	15.8	1.0	0.0
Ti3C2Tx + MgSO4	30.0	29.7	17.0	18.5	0.5	0.1
Ti3C2Tx + MgSO4	30.0	59.2*	33.5*	40.0*	2.0	0.0
(electrode)
*Values of the carbon, oxygen and fluorine content are approximate, since spectra were collected from the rolled Ti3C2Tx electrode, which contained carbon additive (contributes to C and O content) and PTFE binder (contributes to C, O and F content)

Materials with large specific surface area are typically needed to obtain large capacitances in carbon materials for EDLCs. However, at 23 m²/g, the surface area of multilayer exfoliated Ti₃C₂T_s was low. It follows that if double-layer capacitance were the only operative mechanism, one would have expected the capacitance for this material to be less than that of (for example) activated graphene by a factor of 100. However, as noted above, intercalation capacitance can by far exceed double-layer capacitances calculated solely on the basis of a material's surface area. To test this idea, fabricated multilayer Ti₃C₂T_s electrodes were made and tested in NaOH—, KOH- and LiOH-containing electrolytes using a standard three-electrode asymmetrical setup with an Ag/AgCl reference electrode (FIG. 34). The resulting cyclic voltammograms (CVs) are shown in FIG. 35 [see FIG. 36 for the corresponding electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results]. The rectangular-shaped CVs indicate capacitive behavior in these basic solutions. Note that in all experiments, the open circuit potential (OCP) was taken as the starting potential for the CV scans because 0.1 V above this potential, Ti₃C₂T_s oxidation is observed in aqueous electrolytes (see FIG. 37).

To study the effect of a cation's valence on the electrochemical performance of multilayer exfoliated Ti₃C₂T_s electrodes, CV scans were taken in 1M solutions of potassium and aluminum sulfates and nitrates (FIG. 35B and FIG. 36B). Clearly, the responses in the K⁺- and Al³⁺-containing solutions were distinctively different, confirming once again that the cations (and not the anions) are intercalating. The CV plots for K₂SO₄ were almost perfectly rectangular. Conversely, the CV data for the more acidic (see Table 4) and less conductive Al₂(SO₄)₃ electrolyte yielded capacitance values that were significantly lower, and the shape of the CVat 10 mV/s and the EIS results showed a higher resistance (FIG. 35B and FIG. 36B). To ensure that lower electrolyte conductivity did not limit the capacitive performance, Ti₃C₂T_s was tested in 1 M Al(NO₃)₃, which had a conductivity similar to that of 1 M K₂SO₄ (Table 4). Although the normalized capacitance did not increase appreciably, the CV loops were definitely more rectangular (FIG. 35B), demonstrating the role of electrolyte conductivity.

TABLE 4
Electric conductivity of the aqueous electrolytes used in
electrochemical experiments
Electrolyte  Conductivity, mS/cm
1M NaOH      141
1M KOH       191
0.5M LiOH    90
0.5M K2SO4   100
1M (NH4)2SO4 114
1M Mg(NO3)3  115
1M MgSO4     51
1M Al2(SO4)3 30
1M Al(NO3)3  110
3M NaOAc     79

Further evidence for cation intercalation and its beneficial effect on capacitance comes from the observation that for some electrolytes, time was needed to reach a steady state or maximum capacitance. For strongly basic electrolytes (Table 3), such as KOH solutions, the rectangular CV plots were observed almost immediately and the capacitances did not change with time or cycle number. For other electrolytes, however, there was a slow and gradual increase in capacitance with time. For example, for salts such as MgSO₄, the CV area increased steadily with time and the maximum capacity was reached only after 48 hours (see FIG. 38 and FIG. 39). Unlike what is observed for graphite, there was no irreversible capacitance loss during the first cycle for any of the electrolytes studied.

The performance of the multilayer Ti₃C₂T_s in all tested electrolytes is summarized in FIG. 35C. The specific capacitances were calculated by integrating the discharge portions of the CV plots. The results clearly showed responses that depended on the electrolytes used. Moreover, the calculated capacitances were quite high for a material with such low surface area.

In situ XRD studies of the intercalation process during cycling showed that electrochemical cycling led to insignificant changes in the c values. For example, when a Ti₃C₂T_s electrode was cycled in a KOH-containing electrolyte, the c values fluctuated within 0.33 Å as the potential was scanned from −1 to −0.2 V (FIG. 40A). Interestingly, a slight shrinkage in c values was observed with increasing voltage. Similar behavior was observed when Ti₃C₂T_s was cycled in NaOAc-containing electrolyte (FIG. 41). Without being bound by the correctness of any particular theory, one explanation for this observation was that the positively charged ions incorporated in Ti₃C₂T_s increased the electrostatic attraction between layers, in a manner analogous to what was observed for MnO₂ in other systems. When Ti₃C₂T_s was electrochemically cycled in a MgSO₄-containing solution, the shift of the (0002) peak almost doubled relative to the KOH and NaOAc electrolytes (compare FIG. 40A and FIG. 40B). Here again, a slight shrinkage in c values was observed with increasing voltage.

To gain further insight into the capacitances and what influences them, MXene “paper” produced by filtering delaminated Ti₃C₂T_s was tested. This paper, with a specific surface area of 98 m²/g, was flexible, hydrophilic, additive-free, and conductive. When tested in KOH, the CVs were rectangular, similar to those obtained when multilayer Ti₃C₂T_s powder was used (compare FIG. 42A to FIG. 35A). Furthermore, the EIS results indicated that the Ti₃C₂T_s paper based capacitors were less resistive (FIG. 42B) than those made with multilayer Ti₃C₂T_s (FIG. 36A). This improved electrochemical response can be related to a number of factors, such as the absence of a binder in the system, good contact between the restacked flakes in the paper, increased accessibility of the structure, and thinner electrodes.

As shown in FIG. 40C, the use of Ti₃C₂T_s paper electrodes instead of multilayer exfoliated Ti₃C₂T_s in some electrolytes (e.g., KOH and NaOAc) roughly doubled the gravimetric capacitance (see FIG. 43 for more information about the performance of Ti₃C₂T_s paper in NaOAc and MgSO₄). Further, the volumetric capacitance values recorded for few-layer Ti₃C₂T_s were on the order of 340 F/cm³ for KOH (FIG. 42A and FIG. 44). Those values are much higher than those found for activated graphene [60 to 100 F/cm³] or micrometer-thin carbide-derived carbon electrodes [180 F/cm³]. A capacitance retention test performed by galvanostatic cycling at 1 A/g showed almost no degradation in performance after 10,000 cycles (FIG. 42D).

Example 14

Intercalation of MXene Materials with Kaolinitic Intercalators

The examples provided herein for the intercalation of various ions use Ti₃C₂T_s as a convenient template for investigation. It should be appreciated that the results described herein are expected to be reproducible with other MXene materials, and separate embodiments include those wherein the intercalation is also described with respect to these other MXene materials. That is, other specific embodiments include the other MXene materials described herein intercalated with the materials described herein, and the articles derived from such intercalated materials.

Example 14.1

Methods and Materials

The following chemicals were used in this Example: titanium aluminum carbide 211 (Ti₂AlC, >92 wt. % purity, 3-ONE-2, Voorhees, USA), titanium carbide (TiC, 99 wt. % purity, Johnson Matthey Electronic, New York, USA), hydrofluoric acid (HF, 48-51 wt. %, Acros Organics, Morris Plains, USA), hydrazine monohydrate (HM, N₂H₄.H₂O, >98.0 wt. % purity, TCI America, Portland, USA), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF, ≧99 wt. %, Acros Organics, Morris Plains, USA), dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO, m.w. 78.13, MP Biomedical Inc., Solon, USA), urea (Fisher Scientific, Fair Lawn, USA), acetone (≧99+wt. %, Acros Organics, Morris Plains, USA), ethyl alcohol (Fisher Scientific, Fair Lawn, USA) tetrahydrofuran, THF (≧99+wt. %, Acros Organics, Morris Plains, USA), chloroform (99.8 wt. %, stabilized in 0.5-1% ethanol, Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, USA), toluene (f.w. 92.14, Fisher Chemical, Fair Lawn, USA), hexane (≧99 wt. %, Reagent Plus, Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, USA), thiophene (≧99+wt. %, Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, USA), formaldehyde (37% w/w, Fisher Chemical, Fair Lawn, USA). All chemicals were used as received without further purification.

Characterization.

X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns were recorded with a powder diffractometer (Siemens D500, Germany) using Cu K_α radiation with a wavelength ˜1.54 Å, with 0.02° 2θ steps and 1 sec dwelling time. A scanning electron microscope, (SEM, Zeiss Supra 50VP, Germany) was used to obtain images of the particles. The 2-D sheets were also imaged with a transmission electron microscope, TEM, (JEOL JEM-2100, Japan) using an accelerating voltage of 200 kV. The TEM samples were prepared by suspending the powders in isopropanol, sonicating for 1 min and drying a drop of the mixture on a 200 mesh lacey-carbon-coated copper grid. An XPS (PHI 5000, ULVAC-PHI, Inc., Japan) was used to analyze the surface elemental composition powders before and after intercalation. The resistances of freestanding cold-pressed discs of non-intercalated and intercalated MXenes were measured using a four-probe technique (Cascade Probe Station CPS-1303-24 with 4-point probe head Alessi C4S-57, Cascade Microtech, Inc., Beaverton, USA). A detailed experimental section (materials used and techniques of material preparation) can be found in the Supplementary Information.

Synthesis of Ti₃AlC₂.

The Ti₃AlC₂ powder was synthesized from a mixture of Ti₂AlC with TiC in a 1:1 molar ratio. The mixture was ball milled for 24 h, heated at 10° C./min to 1350° C. in a tube furnace under Ar flow, and held in these conditions for 2 h. After cooling, the lightly sintered brick was crushed using a mortar and pestle.

Synthesis of MXene.

Non-sieved Ti₃AlC₂ powder was treated with HF solutions at room temperature (RT), for 22 h. The resulting suspensions were washed five times using deionized water and centrifuged to separate the powder until pH reached ˜4. The resulting black powder was divided into two portions. A small part of still wet material was used immediately for intercalation. The rest was dried under vacuum at 100° C. for 22 h, placed into capped glass vials and stored at ambient conditions for further experiments.

Intercalation of MXene.

To intercalate MXene, hydrazine monohydrate (HM) was used. Two types of powders were used: i) as-received, washed, wet MXene and, ii) type (i) powder dried at 100° C. for 22 h. The MXene powders were suspended either in HM or a 1:3 mixture of HM and DMF, and stirred for 24 h with a magnetic stirrer, either at RT or at 80° C.

In all cases, the weight ratio of HM:MXene was 10:1. When the treatment involved only hydrazine monohydrate, the suspensions were filtered and washed with ethanol. In the case of the mixture of HM and DMF, DMF was used for washing instead of ethanol. The powders were then dried in a desiccator under vacuum, created by a water jet pump (the pressure in the desiccator was <10 Torr), at RT for 24 h or in the vacuum (˜10⁻² Torr) oven at 120° C. for 24 h.

Other organic compounds were also tried for intercalation into MXene. Those included DMSO, urea, DMF, acetone, ethyl alcohol, THF, chloroform, toluene, thiophene, and formaldehyde. The procedure to synthesize the MXene intercalation compounds was the same in all cases: i) 9 weighted samples of Ti₃C₂, 0.3 g each, were mixed with 5 ml of each organic solvent (excluding urea), then stirred for 24 h at RT; ii) in case of urea, 5 ml of 50 wt. % aqueous solution of urea was added to 0.3 g of Ti₃C₂ and stirred for 24 h at 60° C. Afterwards, the resulting colloidal solutions were filtered and dried in a desiccator under vacuum at RT.

De-Intercalation of MXene.

To de-intercalate hydrazine/DMF, the reacted powder was carefully weighed, placed in a graphite crucible and outgassed at RT in vacuum (˜10⁻⁶ Torr) for 24 h. While under vacuum, the powder was then heated to 200° C. at 10° C./min, held at this temperature for 72 h and cooled to RT. The powder remained under vacuum for another 48 h before it was retrieved. Between its removal from the furnace and re-weighing, the sample was exposed to ambient air for ˜3 min.

Preparation of Pressed MXene Discs.

The non-intercalated and intercalated MXene powders were cold pressed to a load corresponding to a stress of 0.8 GPa using manual hydraulic pellet press (Carver, Model 4350.L, Carver, Inc., Wabash, USA). The resulting discs were 12.5 mm in diameter and in the range of 228-432 μm thick.

Example 14.2

Observations on the Results of Experiments Intercalating Kaolinitic Intercalators

Consistent with the apparent layered structure of MXene materials, their intercalation behaviors appear to resemble that of clays. Numerous compounds were studied for clay intercalation, such as formamide and its derivatives, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), urea, alkali metal salts, long-chain alkylamines, and others. Hydrazine monohydrate (HM) or N₂H₄H₂O, is probably the most common intercalation agent for clays. It intercalates into the interlayer space between the octahedral aluminum hydroxide and tetrahedral silica sheets, resulting in an expansion of the clay c-lattice parameter, c-LP, along [0001] from 7.2 to 10.3-10.4 Å. As shown below, the intercalation of hydrazine and co-intercalation with DMF between the Ti₃C₂ layers also resulted in an increase of the c lattice parameter, in this case from 19.5 Å to 25.48 Å and 26.80 Å, respectively. Partial de-intercalation of hydrazine occurred by heating the intercalated Ti₃C₂ at 120° C. in vacuum and de-intercalation of both hydrazine and DMF at 200° C. Comparison of molecular dynamics simulation and experimental results suggested that a nearly complete monolayer of hydrazine is inserted between the Ti₃C₂ layers of the host. Intercalation of Ti₃C₂ with urea and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), as well as intercalation of Ti₃CN and TiNbC with hydrazine and DMSO demonstrated in this study, suggest a possibility of synthesis of dozens of new intercalation compounds based on carbides and carbonitrides of transition metals.

The schematic of intercalation of HM into the MXene is shown in FIG. 45A. The (001) X-ray diffraction (XRD) peaks of MXene most pronounced before intercalation with HM and/or DMF, were still present after intercalation, but shifted to lower 2θ angles (FIG. 45B-C, FIG. 46). Table 5 summarizes the c-LPs values for the HM and HM in DMF treated materials. The c-LP of the initial material was 19.5±0.1 Å, a value that does not change much with post intercalation treatment. After the initial powder was exposed to HM and HM in DMF at 80° C. for 24 h, the c-LPs increased to 25.48±0.02 Å and 26.8±0.1 Å, respectively. The larger c-LP increase in the latter case points to a synergistic effect when the HM was dissolved in DMF prior to its intercalation. Note that when DMF alone was used, the increase in c was very small (22.9±0.2 Å), suggesting limited intercalation.

When the HM intercalated powders were heated to 120° C., their c-LPs decreased from 25.48 to 20.6±0.3 Å (FIG. 45B-iii and FIG. 45C-iii), signifying that the intercalation process was reversible. In contrast, heating the powders intercalated with HM and DMF to 120° C. resulted in a small reduction in c-LP (FIG. 45B-ii, FIG. 45C-ii). However, when the same powder was vacuum dried at 200° C., the c-LP decreased to 20.1±0.5 Å (FIG. 45B-ii, FIG. 45B-ii). It follows that the HM/DMF combination was more resistant to de-intercalation than HM alone. Without being bound by the correctness of any particular theory, this could be due to a higher boiling point of DMF (153° C.) compared to that of HM (114° C.).

TABLE 5
c-lattice parameters, in Å, for non-intercalated MXene and MXene treated with HM,
HM and DMF, and dried in different conditions
	Non-	MD - non-	HM	MD (N/C	HM in DMF
Intercalant	intercalated	intercalated	(XRD)‡	ratio 0.375)	(XRD)‡
Initial material*	19.5 ± 0.1	19.85 ± 0.01	25.48 ± 0.02	25.31 ± 0.04	26.8 ± 0.1
After drying @ 120° C.	19.5 ± 0.1	N/A	20.6 ± 0.3	N/A	26.0 ± 0.2
Vacuum drying @	19.3 ± 0.2	N/A	N/A	N/A	20.1 ± 0.5
200° C.
*Prior to intercalation, the Ti3C2-based powder was dried at 100° C. for 22 h.
‡Both HM and HM in DMF treatments were carried out at 80° C. for 24 h.

The XRD consistently showed that MXene were intercalated with HM. The absence of XRD peaks corresponding to a c-LP of 19.5 Å (FIG. 45B-i, FIG. 45C-i) implied that nearly entire space between MXene layers was intercalated.

XPS spectra (FIG. 47) provided further evidence of intercalation. As it was previously described, pure exfoliated Ti₃C₂ sample showed presence of TiC and Ti—O bonds as well as OH groups suggested by the observed O1s peak around 530 eV. In case of intercalated samples, the N1s signal was observed around 400 eV in XPS spectra of both Ti₃C₂ treated with HM and HM/DMF (insets in FIGS. 47A and B, respectively). As expected, no peaks of nitrogen were detected in pure Ti₃C₂.

SEM images of the exfoliated Ti₃C₂ powders, before and after HM treatment in DMF at 80° C. for 24 h, shown in FIG. 48A-B, respectively, confirmed that: (i) the MXene remains exfoliated after intercalation, and, (ii) the layers apparently thicken (FIG. 48B) by gluing monolayers together forming 20-50 nm thick lamellas. These structures were formed when organics act as adhesive ligaments, gluing MXene monolayers together.

The smaller fragments attached to the edges of a larger MXene particles in FIG. 48B were debris that most probably were formed during the long (24 h) stirring with magnetic stirrer bar. Such debris has never been observed for non-intercalated Ti₃C₂. Their formation suggests a different mode of fracture of MXene layers after intercalation.

TEM images and corresponding SAED patterns of Ti₃C₂ intercalated with HM in DMF at 80° C. for 24 h (FIG. 48A-F) showed no significant changes in the structure of the basal planes of the Ti₃C₂ after intercalation (FIG. 48C and inset in FIG. 48D). When separate MXene sheets were observed, their SAED patterns (FIG. 48F) confirmed the same hexagonal crystal structure of the basal planes of the intercalated sample typical for both exfoliated Ti₃C₂ MXene (inset in FIG. 48D) and non-exfoliated Ti₃AlC₂ MAX phase. Measurements of the d-spacings for the intercalated materials gave the values 2.648 Å and 1.540 Å for the (0110) and (1210) lattice planes, respectively. These values result in an a-LP of 3.057 Å, a value that is in excellent agreement with the a-LP of exfoliated Ti₃C₂ before intercalation, as well as non-exfoliated Ti₃AlC₂, viz. 3.058 Å.

Other potential intercalants were also tested. The following organic compounds were tested: thiophene, ethanol, tetrahydrofuran, formaldehyde, chloroform, toluene, hexane, DMSO, and urea. Of these, only DMSO and urea resulted in an increase in the c-LPs from 19.5±0.1 Å to 35.04±0.02 Å and 25.00±0.02 Å, respectively (FIG. 49). The intercalation of these compounds was in good agreement with data reported for kaolinite.

Interestingly, XRD patterns taken 3 weeks after the initial DMSO intercalation (FIG. 49-ii) showed an even larger downshift of the (002) peaks corresponding to a c-LP of 44.8±0.1 Å. Based upon this observation, together with the fact that MXene powders are highly hygroscopic and over the same period of time they become increasingly wet, this further increase of c-LPs over time may be due the intercalation of H₂O from the ambient air into the pre-open interlayer space of the intercalated MXene, followed by capillary condensation of water. This effect was only observed for the DMSO intercalated MXene powders.

Although the results above were obtained on Ti₃C₂, other MXenes can be intercalated in a similar way. To demonstrate that intercalation was a general phenomenon rather than the exclusive property of the Ti₃C₂-based MXene, the treatment of two other members of the MXene family, Ti₃CN and TiNbC, was carried out with HM. As in the case of Ti₃C₂, the shift of the major XRD peak to lower 2θ angles (FIG. 50) confirmed their intercalation. It is important to note that one of those phases was a carbonitride with the same general formula as Ti₃C₂ (M₃X₂), whereas the other one represented a different kind of MXene with the formula M₂X (TiNbC), consistent with the thinking that other MXenes can form intercalation compounds as well.

To further support the fact of intercalation, the resistivity of non-intercalated MXenes and MXenes treated with HM was measured (Table 6). Expansion of the van der Waals gap between sheets requires energy that comes from charge transfer between the guest and MXene, and alters the number of charge carriers, affecting the conductivity. As expected, the resistivity values of all intercalated samples were higher than that of non-intercalated due to the increase of their c-LPs after intercalation. The difference in magnitude of the resistivity increase for different intercalated MXenes at relatively the same expansion might be partially explained by different number of MXene atomic layers. In case of M₃X₂, the resistivity increased by an order of magnitude whereas the increase by two orders is observed for M₂C compounds. It is important to note that the resistivity values might be affected by sample density and the pressure used to compress the discs. For instance, the sheet resistivity of non-intercalated Ti₃C₂ pressed at 0.8 GPa reported in Table 6 was lower than that pressed at 1 GPa.

TABLE 6
Sheet resistivity, resistivity and density of cold-pressed discs
for different non-intercalated MXenes and MXenes
treated with Hydrazine Monohydrate (HM).
	Sheet Resistivity,	Resistivity,
	Ω/	Ωm	Density, g/cm3
	Non-		Non-		Non-
	interca-	HM	interca-	HM	interca-	HM
Sample	lated	treated	lated	treated	lated	treated
Ti3C2	61	243	0.016	0.056	2.58	2.71
Ti3CN	43	711	0.011	0.249	3.22	2.90
Nb2C	321	12806	0.139	4.977	3.75	3.47
TiNbC	230	44661	0.092	17.471	3.67	3.01

The properties of intercalation compounds, including electrical conductivity discussed above, to a large extent were determined by the amount, arrangement and reactions of the guest molecules with the host material. In addition, the structure of the intercalant often provided a key to deciphering the intercalation mechanisms. However, as alluded to above, this problem's complexity was illustrated by the large body of literature on the structure of HM intercalation in clays.

Concerning the co-intercalation of HM and DMF, only simple geometrical considerations were provided. The increase of c-LP by 7.3 Å over the non-intercalated MXene, measured for this material after intercalation at room temperature (Table 5) could be explained by the insertion of both HM and DMF molecules. Based on the experimentally measured increase in MXene c-LPs, upon co-intercalation of HM and DMF, the insertion of 1 N₂H₄ and 1 DMF molecule in a stack configuration into the interlayer spacing of MXene can be suggested. The resulting increase in c-LP (7.3 Å) is, in this case, close to the sum of 2.4 Å and 5.0 Å—the changes in c-LPs reported for N₂H₄ and DMF intercalated kaolinites, respectively. As noted above, the reduction of this value to 6.5 Å after drying at 120° C. (Table 5) could be attributed to the partial de-intercalation of HM molecules, leaving behind DMF molecules.

Example 15

Sheet Resistivities and Contact Angles of MX-Ene Discs

To measure the sheet resistances and the contact angle of various MXene compositions, MXene discs (25 mm in diameter, 300 pm thick) were cold-pressed from the reacted powders. The latter were placed in a die and cold-pressed to a load corresponding to a stress of 1 GPa. The surface or sheet resistances of cold-pressed, free-standing MXene discs were measured using a four-probe technique (Cascade Probe Station CPS-1303-24 with 4-point probe head Alessi C4S-57, Cascade Microtech, Inc., Beaverton, USA).

Contact angle measurements of deionized water were also performed at room temperature using the sessile drop technique. Ten microliter water drops were placed on the surfaces of cold-pressed MXene discs. The contact angles were measured from photographs taken with a CCD camera yielding an accuracy of approximately ±3°.

The densities of the cold-pressed discs of the various MXene compositions (Table 7) varied between 2.91 g/cm₃ for Ti₂C to 6.82 g/cm³ for Ta₄C₃. If one assumes the c lattice parameters listed in Table 1 and OH terminated surfaces of MXene sheets, then it is possible to calculate the theoretical densities. The last row in Table 7 lists the measured densities of the pressed discs. The numbers in parentheses list the % of theoretical densities that range from 50 to ca. 65%.

The sheet resistivity and resistivities of the various MXene discs are also shown in Table 7. The resistivity values are higher than the MAX phases before treatment (<10Ω/□) presumably because of the replacement of the A layers with OH and/or F. When it is assumed that surface groups are similar in all of the exfoliated MAX phases, the difference in the resistivity between the different phases can be partially explained by the different number of atomic layers (3, 5, and 7 for M₂X, M₃X₂, and M₄X₃ phases, respectively). It is important to note that the resistivity values reported in Table 7 should be significantly higher than single MXene sheets because of the method by which the resistivity was measured. For example, the resistivity of bulk sintered Ti₃AlC₂ is 0.39 μΩm. When Ti₃AlC₂ powders were cold-pressed at 1 GP, their resistivity increased to 1200 μΩ-m, a, roughly, 3000 time increase.

Contact angle measurement results for water droplets on the cold-pressed discs of exfoliated phases are also listed in Table 7. These values are lower than those of the corresponding MAX phases—that were also measured in this work on cold-pressed samples, which were around 60°. The reduction in contact angle can be explained by the presence of OH surface groups after the HF treatment. In contradistinction, graphene can be transformed from superhydrophopic to superhydrophilic by altering the surface groups. The hydrophilicity of the MXenes would be an advantage when using aqueous electrolytes in energy storage devices or dispersing in water and alcohols for further processing.

TABLE 7
Resistivity and Contact Angle of Water on Cold-Pressed
Free-Standing Discs for Different Exfoliated Phases and
Their Densitities
Property	Ti2C	TiNbC	Ti3CNx	Ta4C3	Ti3C2
Resistivity, Ω/□	339	171	125	104	22
Resistivity, Ω m	0.068	0.052	0.037	0.021	0.005
Contact angle, deg	32	31	27	41	34
Density of cold pressed	2.91	3.23	2.95	6.82	3.12
discsa, g/cm3 (% of	(62%)	(52%)	(64%)	(53%)	(60%)
theoretical)
aThe densities were estimated from the dimensions and weights of the cold-pressed discs. Number in parentheses is relative theoretical density assuming OH termination of the MX-ene surfaces and the c parameters listed in Table 1.

Example 16

Transparent Conductive Films

The fabrication of ˜1×1 cm² Ti₃C₂T_s films by selective etching of Al, from sputtered epitaxial Ti₃AlC₂ films, in aqueous HF or NH₄HF₂ is described herein. Films that were about 19 nm thick, etched with NH₄HF₂, transmit ˜90% of the light in the visible-to-infrared range and exhibit metallic conductivity down to ˜100 K. Below 100 K, the films' resistivities increase with decreasing temperature and exhibit negative magnetoresistances; both observations consistent with a weak localization phenomenon characteristic of 2D defective solid. This advance opens the door for the use of MXenes in electronic, photonic and sensing applications.

The examples provided herein describe results derived from Ti₃C₂T_s. It should be appreciated that the results described herein are expected to be reproducible with other MXene materials, and separate embodiments include those wherein properties are described with respect to these other MXene materials. That is, other specific embodiments include the other MXene materials described herein resulting in properties analogous to those described herein, and the articles derived from such intercalated materials.

The materials described here represent a departure from existing literature in several ways: (1) they are produced as continuous epitaxial thin films; (2) In all previous studies, the etchant was HF. Here it is shown that ammonium bi-fluoride, NH₄HF₂ can be used instead; (3) the one-step synthesis of a MXene, intercalated with ammonia, is demonstrated; (4) Availability of epitaxial films on transparent and insulating sapphire substrates enabled the measurement of some of the fundamental physical properties, such as optical absorption, in a broad wavelength range, and the temperature dependence of conductivity and magnetoresistance down to 2 K. These films show high transparency for wavelengths in the visible to infrared range.

Example 16.1

Methods and Materials

Synthesis of Ti₃C₂.

Two chemicals were used to etch, at room temperature, the Ti3AlC2 films. The first was 50% concentrated HF (Sigma Aldrich, Stockholm, Sweden). Samples of nominal thickness of 15, 28, 43, and 60 nm were etched for 10, 15, 60 and 160 min, respectively. The second was 1 M NH₄HF₂ (Sigma Aldrich, Stockholm, Sweden). Samples of the same thickness as those mentioned above were etched for 150, 160, 420, and 660 min, respectively. After etching, the samples were rinsed in deionized water, then in ethanol.

Optical and Electrical Characterization.

Transmittance values of the films were obtained using a spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmer Lambda 950 UV-Vis) with a 2-nm slit width and resolution. Spectra were corrected with both 100% and 0% transmittance background spectra. A bare sapphire substrate was used as a reference. The number of MXene layers obtained for FIG. 54B were calculated by dividing the total film thicknesses by the c/2 where c is the lattice parameters obtained from XRD.

Room-temperature resistivities were measured using a four-point probe method. Three sheet-resistance measurements were taken for each sample. The errors reported in Table 8 were calculated. The resistivity was obtained by multiplying the sheet resistance with the corresponding average film thickness.

The temperature-dependent in-plane resistivity measurements were performed in a Physical Property Measurement System (Quantum Design, San Diego, USA) using an external current source (Keithley 6220, Ohio, USA) and nanovoltmeter (Keithley 2182A). A linear four-point probe geometry was used. Gold wires were attached to the films using silver paint. Positive and negative currents were applied at each temperature to eliminate any thermal offsets. The MR measurements were performed with the magnetic field—up to 10 T—applied out of the plane of the film.

Example 16.2

Results

The starting films used were 15 to 60 nm thick Ti₃AlC₂ films deposited onto sapphire (000) substrates by magnetron sputtering. FIG. 51A shows a schematic of the process starting from the sputter-deposition of Ti₃AlC₂. Prior to the deposition of the Ti₃AlC₂ layers, a TiC incubation layer was formed on the sapphire. The latter is key to growing epitaxial Ti₃AlC₂ films. This is followed by etching of the Al layers resulting in 2D Ti₃C₂T_s, layers where T_s stands for the surface —O, —OH, or —F terminations resulting from the aqueous HF etchant (see Example 16.1). The Ti₃C₂ surfaces are presumed to be OH-terminated. A scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) image of the interface between the TiC incubation layer and Ti₃C₂T_s is shown FIG. 51B. The fact that the very first MXene layer has an ordered structure bodes well for the production of single layer MXene films.

In these experiments, ammonium bi-fluoride, NH₄HF₂ was used as an etchant reported to produce the MXene. As described above, other bifluorides and in-situ HF precursors many also be used for this purpose. The main advantages of the latter are reduced hazard, relacitve to HF and milder etchant. A third advantage is the concomitant intercalation of cations during the etching process. For brevity's sake, hereafter these films will be referred to as Ti₃C₂T_s-IC, where the IC represents the intercalated species, viz. NH₃ and NH₄⁺ (see below).

A typical XRD pattern of an as-deposited Ti₃AlC₂ film (FIG. 52A, I) shows the (000) peaks from Ti₃AlC₂, a TiC incubation layer and the sapphire substrate. The presence of only peaks corresponding to basal-plane oriented Ti₃AlC₂ indicates epitaxial growth, a fact also confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) (FIG. 53A). The Ti₃C₂T_s XRD pattern (FIG. 52A, II) on the other hand, shows a downshift in angle of the 000 peaks corresponding to an increase in the c lattice parameter from 18.6 Å for Ti₃AlC₂ to 19.8 Å for Ti₃C₂T_s. The latter value agrees with previous work on Ti₃C₂T_s synthesized from Ti₃AlC₂ powders. The XRD pattern of Ti₃C₂T_s-IC (FIG. 52A, III), is similar to the other two, except that now c is further increased to 24.7 Å. Similar behavior was observed when Ti₃AlC₂ powders were intercalated with NH₄OH or NH₄F after HF etching. In both cases, the c lattice expansion was of the order of 25%. The independence of the increase in the c lattice parameter on the nature of the anion of the etching solution strongly suggests that the cations (NH₄⁺) and/or ammonia (NH₃), and not the anions, are the intercalated species. Herein, the etching and intercalation occur in a single step. This is an important result because it considerably simplifies the intercalation process.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements were performed on the various films in order to characterize their chemical states and atomic compositions. The XPS results, shown in FIG. 52B-D for films, with a nominal thickness of 60 nm, demonstrate a shift in the Ti 2p and C1s (FIGS. 52B and C) toward higher binding energies for the titanium carbide species in Ti₃AlC₂, Ti₃C₂T_s and Ti₃C₂T_s-IC, compared to those of binary TiC (shown in FIGS. 53B and C as vertical lines), indicating the change in the nature of bonding between the Ti and C atoms in Ti₃AlC₂ and the corresponding MXenes. The latter most likely occurs because valence electrons are withdrawn from the Ti atoms, and subsequently from the C atoms, in the MXene layers by the surface functional groups, as well as, from the interaction of the surface with the intercalated compounds. The removal of Al is verified by the high-resolution spectra in the Al 2p region for Ti₃C₂T_s and Ti₃C₂T_s-IC (FIG. 52D), in which a very weak Al signal most probably originating from aluminum fluoride. The Ti₃AlC₂, Al 2p signal corresponds to Al bonded to Ti, as well as, surface aluminum oxide.

The reactions of HF with Ti₃AlC₂ are postulated to include:

Ti₃AlC₂+3HF=AlF₃+3/2H₂+Ti₃C₂  (1)

Ti₃C₂+2H₂O=Ti₃C₂(OH)₂+H₂  (2)

Ti₃C₂+2HF=Ti₃C₂F₂+H₂  (3)

Reaction (1) is followed by reactions (2) and (3), which result in OH and F terminated Ti₃C₂ surfaces or Ti₃C₂T_s. The elemental ratio obtained from the analysis of high-resolution (XPS) spectra is Ti₃C_2.2O₂F_0.6. As indicated by XPS, terminal hydroxyl and fluoride groups exist on the surface of the material, thereby indirectly confirming the aforementioned reactions. EDX mapping in the TEM also confirms the presence of F and O atoms between the Ti₃C₂ layers.

As discussed above for NH₄HF₂ etched Ti₃AlC₂, intercalation of ammonium species between the resulting Ti₃C₂T_s layers occurs concomitantly to the etching of the Al layers. It is thus reasonable to conclude that in this case the following reactions are operative:

Ti₃AlC₂+3NH₄HF₂=(NH₄)₃AlF₆+Ti₃C₂+3/2H₂  (4)

Ti₃C₂+aNH₄HF₂+bH₂O=(NH₃)_c(NH₄)_dTi₃C₂(OH)_xF_y  (5)

Unlike HF etching, etching with NH₄HF₂ results in formation of (NH₄)₃AlF₆ according to reaction (4). Reaction (5) depicts the intercalation of NH₃ and NH₄⁺¹ between the Ti₃C₂T_s layers. In order to confirm the nature of the intercalating species in Ti₃C₂T_s-IC, a high-resolution XPS spectrum of the N is region was recorded (FIG. 52E). The latter was best fitted by two components: one for NH₄⁺¹ (55.8% of N1s; peak position: 402 eV, FWHM: 1.8 eV)30; the other for NH₃ (44.2% of N1s; peak position: 400.1 eV, FWHM: 1.8 eV)28,29. It is, thus, reasonable to conclude that both species intercalated this MXene.

The elemental ratio obtained from the analysis of high-resolution XPS spectra of Ti₃C₂ produced by NH₄HF₂ etching of Ti₃AlC₂ was Ti₃C_2.3O_1.2F_0.7N_0.2. Here again, the XPS analysis indicated the presence of terminal hydroxyl and fluoride groups.

Cross-sectional scanning TEM micrographs of as-deposited Ti₃AlC₂ films, before (FIGS. 53A and D) and after etching with HF (FIGS. 53B and E) or NH₄HF₂ (FIGS. 53C and F) clearly showed the presence of the TiC incubation layers and the effects of etching on the films' microstructures. The SAED patterns confirmed the out-of-plane epitaxial relationship Ti₃AlC₂(0001)/TiC(111)/Al₂O₃(0001). At 18.6 Å, the c lattice parameter for Ti₃AlC₂, obtained from the SAED pattern and TEM micrographs, was in excellent agreement with that calculated from XRD (18.6 Å). At 19.5-20 Å, the c lattice parameter of Ti₃C₂T_s obtained from SAED pattern also matches the one from XRD (19.8 Å). At 21 Å, the c for Ti₃C₂T_s-IC measured from the SAED pattern is considerably lower than that obtained from XRD (25 Å). The most probable reason for this state of affairs is the de-intercalation of the ammonium species during TEM sample preparation and/or observation.

The light elements of the surface termination groups (O, H and F) cannot be seen between the layers, but the larger and non-uniform spacings seen in FIGS. 53B, C, E and F indirectly confirmed the weak interactions between the MXene layers after etching and the formation of a 2D structure. The non-uniform interlayer spacing observed in the STEM images of the HF-etched sample (FIG. 53B) could also account for the peak broadening observed in XRD (FIG. 52A).

Prior to etching, the initial thicknesses of the films examined in the TEM were 60 nm (FIG. 53A). However, as a result of the increase in c and the separation between the MXene layers, due to exfoliation, the etched films were thicker than the initial films (Table 8). Comparing the atomic layers in Ti₃C₂T_s-IC (FIGS. 53C and F) to those of the Ti₃C₂T_s layers (FIGS. 53B and E), it was obvious that the former were more uniformly spaced. This result most probably reflected the milder nature of NH₄HF₂ as compared to HF. For the latter the reaction is faster (Table 8) and more vigorous than the former. Another possible explanation was that the intercalation of ammonia species led to stronger interactions between MXene layers, essentially “gluing” them together as observed for other MXene intercalation compounds.

In terms of light transmittance, both Ti₃C₂T_s and Ti₃C₂T_s-IC films were significantly more transparent than Ti₃AlC₂ of the same initial thickness, 15 nm, (Table 8 and FIG. 54A). The increased transparency of Ti₃C₂T_s and Ti₃C₂T_s-IC, compared to that of Ti₃AlC₂ was also evident visually.

With 90% transmittance, the Ti₃C₂T_s-IC films were the most transparent, followed by the Ti₃C₂T_s films at 70%. With a transmittance of 30%, the Ti₃AlC₂ films were the least transparent. It is worth noting here that the transmittance of all films would have been higher had the TiC incubation layer been absent.

A linear dependence of the absorbance that is independent of the wavelength of the light—on the thickness of the Ti₃C₂T_s and Ti₃C₂T_s IC films was observed (FIG. 54B). The similarities in the transmittance curves and the linear dependencies of absorbance values for both samples, suggest similar structures for Ti₃C₂T_s and Ti₃C₂T_s-IC. A crude estimation of the transmittance of a single MXene layer, d, (since each length c is comprised of two MXene layers, d is approximately equal to the film thickness divided by 2c) could be obtained from the linear fits of absorbance vs. d. The transmittances, calculated thusly, at a wavelength of 240 nm, for single layers of Ti₃C₂T_s and Ti₃C₂T_s-IC are about 90.5% and 91.5%, respectively; the corresponding transmittances, at a wavelength of 800 nm, are 97.3% and 97.1% respectively. The latter values are quite close to those reported for graphene single layers. Note that to obtain the aforementioned values, both the thickness and absorbance of the TiC seed layer were neglected.

TABLE 8
Thickness, etching duration, resistivity, and light transmittance—at a
wavelength of 700 nm—of unetched and etched Ti3AlC2 thin films.
Each set had the same nominal thickness before etching
		Deposi-		Etching
		tion	Thick-	dura-		Trans-
		Time	ness,	tion,	Resistivity,	mittance,
		(minutes)	nm	min	μΩ · m	%
Set	Ti3AlC2		15.2 ± 0.5a		0.45 ± 0.1	31
1	Ti3C2Ts	5	17.2 ± 0.8a	9.5	39.23 ± 1.21	68
	Ti3C2Ts-IC		18.7 ± 0.6a	150	4472.75 ±	85
					323
Set	Ti3AlC2		27.7 ± 0.8a		0.34 ± 0.01	14
2	Ti3C2Ts	10	28.4 ± 1.8a	15	2.28 ± 0.04	49
	Ti3C2Ts-IC		31.3 ± 1.2a	160	5.01 ± 0.03	37
Set	Ti3AlC2		43.4 ± 3.6b		0.31 ± 0.01	5.2
3	Ti3C2Ts	20	47.1 ± 3.5b	60	22.27 ± 0.43	30
	Ti3C2Ts-IC		52.8 ± 2.5b	420	30.90 ± 2.79	28
Set	Ti3AlC2		60.0 ± 5.4c		0.35 ± 0.01	3.4
4	Ti3C2Ts	30	67.4 ± 0.5c	160	1.76 ± 0.02	15
	Ti3C2Ts-IC		74.7 ± 0.5c	660	54.01 ± 4.51	14
aDetermined by XRR.
bInterpolated.
cObtained from direct measurement in TEM (FIG. 53A-B).
dObtained from direct measurement in TEM after accounting for the decrease in thickness due to partial de-intercalation (FIG. 53C).

The electrical properties also confirm the metallic-like nature of the conductivities of all films despite their optical transparency. The Ti₃AlC₂ films were metallic with resistivity, p, values in the range of 0.37 to 0.45 μΩm. The latter increased linearly with increasing temperature (FIG. 55A). Furthermore p increases with decreasing film thickness (Table 8). The resistivity values of the Ti₃C₂T_s-IC films are systematically higher than those produced by HF etching. For instance, 28 nm nominally thick Ti₃C₂T_s and Ti₃C₂T_s-IC films have p values of 2.3 and 5.0 μΩm, respectively. This result is also consistent with the resistivities of MXenes intercalated with organic compounds. The ρ's of the etched films also depend significantly on etching time; longer etching times lead to higher ρ values. Note that the results listed in Table 8 were those obtained upon the full MAX to MXene conversion. The latter was determined by intermittent etching of each film, followed by XRD. When the Ti₃AlC₂ peaks disappeared, the etching process was arrested.

At 1.8 μΩm, a 60 nm nominally thick Ti₃C₂T_s sample was the most conductive of the HF etched films Ti₃C₂T_s films (Table 8). However, at 15%, its transmittance was poor. The 15 nm nominally thick Ti₃C₂T_s sample exhibited the highest transmittance (68%) with a ρ of 39.2 μΩm. For the Ti₃C₂T_s-IC films, the lowest resistivity was 5.0 μΩm, with a transmittance of about 37%. The most transparent (>85%) Ti₃C₂T_s film had a resistivity of 4.5 mom. And while this transmittance value was comparable to ITO, the sheet resistance was roughly an order of magnitude higher than ITO films having the same transmittance. The higher resistivities observed here may be due to the morphology of the as-deposited films. While Ti₃AlC₂ films were predominantly c-axis oriented (FIG. 51A), there is also a secondary grain population wherein the basal planes are not parallel to the substrate. If the conductivity along [0001] was significantly lower than that along the basal planes, such grains, when etched, will act as insulating islands. Reducing the fraction of such grains should result in films that are more conductive when etched.

It is predicted theoretically that altering the terminal bonds would alter the electronic properties of MXenes. Pure Ti₃C₂ was predicted to have a metallic behavior, whereas Ti₃C₂F₂ and Ti₃C₂(OH)₂ were predicted to have band gaps of 0.05 and 0.1, respectively. Thus, there is room for enhancement of the conductivity of Ti₃C₂ by eliminating the surface groups and/or enhancing the quality of the films.

To elucidate the conduction mechanisms of the MXene layers, their resistivities and magnetoresistances (MRs) from room temperature down to about 2.5 K were measured. FIG. 55A shows the temperature dependent resistivity for Ti₃AlC₂, Ti₃C₂T_s and Ti₃C₂T_s-IC films of 28 nm nominal thickness. The Ti₃AlC₂ film exhibited metallic behavior from 300 K down to about 10 K. For the Ti₃C₂T_s and Ti₃C₂T_s-IC films, on the other hand, metallic behavior was observed from 300 to about 100 K; below 100 K the resistivity increases with decreasing temperature (FIG. 55B). Similar low-temperature behavior was observed in other Ti₃C₂T_s and Ti₃C₂T_s-IC films. The low temperature transport data can best be fit assuming ρ˜ln T (inset in FIG. 55B).

As those skilled in the art will appreciate, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of these teachings, and all such are contemplated hereby. For example, in addition to the embodiments described herein, the present invention contemplates and claims those inventions resulting from the combination of features of the invention cited herein and those of the cited prior art references which complement the features of the present invention. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any described material, feature, or article may be used in combination with any other material, feature, or article, and such combinations are considered within the scope of this invention.

The disclosures of each patent, patent application, and publication cited or described in this document are hereby incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.

Claims

1. A method of transferring urea from an aqueous solution to a MXene composition, the method comprising contacting an aqueous solution comprising urea with the MXene composition for a time sufficient to form an intercalated MXene composition comprising urea; wherein the MXene composition comprises a stacked assembly of at least two layers, each layer having first and second surfaces, each layer comprising:a substantially two-dimensional array of crystal cells,each crystal cell having the empirical formula of Mn+1Xn, such that each X is positioned within an octahedral array of M;wherein M is at least one Group IIIB, IVB, VB, or VIB metal;each X is C, N, or a combination thereof; andn=1, 2, or 3; and whereinthe layers are characterized as having an average surface area; andat least one of said surfaces of each layer has bound thereto surface terminations comprising alkoxide, carboxylate, halide, hydroxide, hydride, oxide, sub-oxide, nitride, sub-nitride, sulfide, thiol, or a combination thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein both surfaces of each layer of the MXene composition has surface terminations comprising alkoxide, carboxylate, halide, hydroxide, hydride, oxide, sub-oxide, nitride, sub-nitride, sulfide, thiol, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein M is at least one Group IVB, Group VB, or Group VIB metal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein M is Ti, and n is 1 or 2.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein comprises Sc2C, Sc2N, Ti2C, Ti2N, V2C, V2N, Cr2C, Cr2N, Zr2C, Zr2N, Nb2C, Nb2N, Hf2C, Hf2N, Ti3C2, Ti3N2, V3C2, Ta3C2, Ta3N2, Ti4C3, Ti4N3, V4C3, V4N3, Ta4C3, Ta4N3, or a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein Mn+1Xn comprises Ti2C, Ti2N, Ti3C2, Ti3N2, Ti4C3, Ti4N3, Ta3C2, Ta3N2, Ta4C3, or Ta4N3, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein comprises Ti3C2, TiNbC, Nb2C, Ti3CN, Ti2C, Ta4C3, or (V1/2Cr1/2)3C2.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein Mn+1Xn is Ti3C2, TiNbC, Ti3CN, or Ti2C.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein Mn+1Xn is Ti2C or Ti3C2.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the surfaces of each layer has surface terminations comprising hydroxide, oxide, sub-oxide, or a combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein M is Ta, and n is 2 or 3.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of layers is in the range of 2 to about 50.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the average surface area of the layers is in the range of from about 100 nm2 to about 10,000 nm2 or from about 100 μm2 to about 10,000 μm2.