High-Entropy Laminate Metal Carbide (MAX Phase) and Its Two-Dimensional Derivative MXene

• Published in: Chemistry of materials Vol. 34; no. 5; pp. 2098 - 2106
• Main Authors: Zhou, Jie, Tao, Quanzheng, Ahmed, Bilal, Palisaitis, Justinas, Persson, Ingemar, Halim, Joseph, Barsoum, Michel W, Persson, Per O. Å, Rosen, Johanna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Chemical Society 08.03.2022
• ISSN: 0897-4756; 1520-5002; 1520-5002
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.1c03348

High-entropy (HE) ceramics, by analogy with HE metallic alloys, are an emerging family of multielemental solid solutions. These materials offer a large compositional space, with a corresponding large range of properties. Here, we report the experimental realization of a 3D HE MAX phase, Ti1.0V0.7Cr0.05Nb1.0Ta1.0AlC3, and a corresponding 2D HE MXene in the form of freestanding flakes of average composition Ti1.1V0.7Cr x Nb1.0Ta0.6C3T z (T z = −F, −O, −OH), as produced by selective removal of Al from the HE MAX phase in aqueous hydrofluoric acid (HF). Initial tests on HE MXene “paper” electrodes show their high potential as electrode materials in supercapacitors through volumetric and gravimetric capacitances of 1688 F/cm3 and 490 F/g, respectively, originating from a combination of diffusion- and surface-controlled charge storage processes. The introduction of the HE concept into the field of 2D materials suggests a wealth of future 2D materials and applications.