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MXenes are a rapidly expanding family of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides, nitrides and carbonitrides offering enormous structural and chemical diversity. Their tunable properties make them attractive for applications ranging from energy storage to electronics and medicine. Although this compositional variability allows fine-tuning of the MXene properties, it also creates challenges during the analysis of MXenes because of the presence of multiple light elements (for example, H, C, N, O, and F) in close proximity.

Recent developments in Secondary-Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) instrumentation enable reducing the impact energy of primary ions down to ~100 eV, thereby significantly enhancing the depth resolution. By establishing tailored measurement procedures for specific samples, it is possible to push the boundaries even further and reach atomic depth resolution.

This webcast will describe how application of the SIMS technique for MAX and MXene characterization yields important direct information about their structure:

• Oxygen atoms are incorporated in the carbon (X) sites. Thus, MAX and MXenes should be considered as early transition metal oxycarbides and not carbides as it is commonly assumed
• The composition of surface termination layers can be precisely monitored
• For some out-of-plane ordered MAX and MXenes, the transition metal layers are not fully separated. For Cr2TiAlC2, partial mixing exists: Cr atoms occupy the outer layers, whereas Ti atoms occupy the inner layer in addition to some Cr atoms, thereby forming a solid solution.

The ability of SIMS to unambiguously detect and identify all elements, starting with hydrogen, with atomic depth resolution, atomic layer by atomic layer, may prove invaluable for further development of MAX and MXenes.

Learn:

• Why novel ultrathin 2D materials are so attractive for applications ranging from energy storage to electronics and medicine
• How compositional variability and the interaction of surface termination layers affect fine-tuning of MAX and MAXenes properties
• How ultralow energy Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry can facilitate further development of MAX and MXenes