Chemical scissor-mediated structural editing of layered transition metal carbides

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 379; no. 6637; pp. 1130 - 1135
• Main Authors: Ding, Haoming, Li, Youbing, Li, Mian, Chen, Ke, Liang, Kun, Chen, Guoxin, Lu, Jun, Palisaitis, Justinas, Persson, Per O Å, Eklund, Per, Hultman, Lars, Du, Shiyu, Chai, Zhifang, Gogotsi, Yury, Huang, Qing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States The American Association for the Advancement of Science 17-03-2023
• Subjects: Carbide tools; Editing; Etching; Layered materials; Metal carbides; Transition metals
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.add5901

Intercalated layered materials offer distinctive properties and serve as precursors for important two-dimensional (2D) materials. However, intercalation of non-van der Waals structures, which can expand the family of 2D materials, is difficult. We report a structural editing protocol for layered carbides (MAX phases) and their 2D derivatives (MXenes). Gap-opening and species-intercalating stages were respectively mediated by chemical scissors and intercalants, which created a large family of MAX phases with unconventional elements and structures, as well as MXenes with versatile terminals. The removal of terminals in MXenes with metal scissors and then the stitching of 2D carbide nanosheets with atom intercalation leads to the reconstruction of MAX phases and a family of metal-intercalated 2D carbides, both of which may drive advances in fields ranging from energy to printed electronics.