Ti3C2Tx MXene characterization produced from SHS-ground Ti3AlC2

Abstract

MXenes are an emerging family of two-dimensional (2D) early transition metal carbides/nitrides that are produced by selective A-element chemical etching from 3D MAX phase counterpart. Herein we report a low-cost method combining self-propagation high-temperature synthesis (SHS) and grinding to produce Ti3AlC2 precursor and further its usage to obtain Ti3C2Tx MXene. The SHS-ground precursor requires the same etching conditions as pressure-less synthesized precursors to fully etch A-layer and convert the 3D structure into 2D state. The obtained MXenes are atomically-thin flakes with an average lateral size of 1–2 μm. The room temperature electrical resistivity of Ti3C2Tx based 11 μm-thick film ranges between 295 and 317 μΩ·cm. SHS combining with grinding in one step can be considered as a scalable method to MXene synthesis.