Scientist Discovered: “New Powerful Family of 2D Materials”

Scientists have made a breakthrough discovery in the world of 2D materials, with the creation of a new family of 2D transition metal carbo-chalcogenides (TMCCs). This new family of materials is a combination of two well-known families of 2D materials - TM carbides (MXenes) and TM dichalcogenides (TMDCs) - at the atomic level. The research, conducted by a team of scientists led by Majed Ahmad, was a multi-disciplinary effort involving experts in material synthesis, electrochemistry, and materials theory. The team was able to successfully obtain single sheets of Nb2S2C and Ta2S2C through a combination of electrochemical lithiation and sonication in water. The parent multilayered TMCCs were synthesized using a simple and scalable solid-state synthesis followed by a topochemical reaction. 

The results of the study showed that the delaminated Nb2S2C outperformed both the multilayered Nb2S2C and delaminated NbS2 as an electrode material for Li-ion batteries. The team also observed a superconductivity transition at 7.55 K for Nb2S2C. Ab initio calculations predict that the elastic constant of TMCC is over 50% higher than that of TMDC, making TMCC a promising candidate for various applications in the fields of electronics and energy storage. The discovery of this new family of 2D materials has the potential to revolutionize the field of materials science and open up new avenues for research and development. The team's findings have been published in a leading scientific journal, and their work is expected to generate further interest and exploration in the field. Not only this, the discovery of the new family of 2D transition metal carbo-chalcogenides marks a major milestone in the field of materials science, and has the potential to shape the future of technology and energy storage.

Reference:

Majed, A., Kothakonda, M., Wang, F., Tseng, E. N., Prenger, K., Zhang, X., ... & Naguib, M. (2022). Transition Metal Carbo‐Chalcogenide “TMCC:” A New Family of 2D Materials. Advanced Materials, 34(26), 2200574.