Energy- and cost-efficient NaCl-assisted synthesis of MAX-phase Ti3AlC2 at lower temperature.

Ti 3 C 2 , produced by selective etching of Al from MAX-phase Ti 3 AlC 2 , is the most widely studied two-dimensional MXene material in many research fields. However, the synthesis of highly pure Ti 3 AlC 2 typically requires high temperatures, resulting in high-energy demands and high production costs. To reduce the synthesis temperature, we present a new NaCl-assisted approach for synthesizing Ti 3 AlC 2. Ti 3 AlC 2 was synthesized from a Ti 2 AlC–TiC mixture at 1150 °C under an argon atmosphere in a tube furnace. The successful synthesis of highly pure Ti 3 AlC 2 with an ideal crystal structure and the subsequent preparation of Ti 3 C 2 were confirmed by material characterization and simulation results. This molten-salt-assisted method is more efficient in terms of energy and cost because it lowers the synthesis temperature of MAX-phase Ti 3 AlC 2 by 200 °C. When assisted by appropriate kind or quantity of molten-salt, the synthesis temperature and synthesis time may be further reduced. These findings may provide a new approach for lower-temperature synthesis of other MAX-phase materials and greatly widen the applications of MAX and MXene materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]