A Red‐Phosphorous‐Assisted Ball‐Milling Synthesis of Few‐Layered Ti3C2Tx (MXene) Nanodot Composite

• Published in: ChemNanoMat : chemistry of nanomaterials for energy, biology and more biology and more, 2018-01, Vol.4 (1), p.56-60
• Main Authors: Zhang, Tianran, Jiang, Xi, Li, Guochun, Yao, Qiaofeng, Lee, Jim Yang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ball milling; energy conversion; layered compounds; MXene; nanodots
• ISSN: 2199-692X; 2199-692X
• DOI: 10.1002/cnma.201700232

Layered two‐dimensional (2D) early transition metal carbides (MXenes) are a new class of 2D materials with established activity for electrochemical energy conversion and storage. The use of MXenes is expected to increase by reducing their lateral size to the nanoscale. Herein, using Ti3C2Tx (T=O, OH, F) MXenes as an example, we show that μm‐sized MXenes can be reduced in size to ≈6 nm nanodots by ball‐milling with red phosphorous (P). It is remarkable almost all starting MXenes were converted to nanodots with this method. The Ti3C2Tx surface O groups interacted with P strongly and chemically to drive the nanodots formation. Ti3C2Tx nanodots (TNDs) with different sizes could also be obtained by ball‐milling Ti3C2Tx with other solid‐state elements such as carbon, sulfur and silicon. The as‐prepared TNDs and P composite was evaluated as a sodium‐ion battery anode material. A good sodiation capacity (≈600 mA h g−1) at 260 mA g−1 and good cycle stability for 150 cycles were shown. 0D MXene nanodots of 6 nm in lateral size and 2–5 nm in thinkness were prepared from 2D MXene with the help of red phosphorous with a ball‐milling process.