title: Synthesis of carbon/sulfur nanolaminates by electrochemical extraction of titanium from Ti₂SC.
abstract: Herein we electrochemically and selectively extract Ti from the MAX phase Ti2SC to form carbon/sulfur (C/S) nanolaminates at room temperature. The products are composed of multi-layers of C/S flakes, with predominantly amorphous and some graphene-like structures. Covalent bonding between C and S is observed in the nanolaminates, which render the latter promising candidates as electrode materials for Li-S batteries. We also show that it is possible to extract Ti from other MAX phases, such as Ti3AlC2, Ti3SnC2, and Ti2GeC, suggesting that electrochemical etching can be a powerful method to selectively extract the "M" elements from the MAX phases, to produce "AX" layered structures, that cannot be made otherwise. The latter hold promise for a variety of applications, such as energy storage, catalysis, etc.
authors.affiliation: A. J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute, and Materials Science and Engineering Department, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (USA).
authors.forename: Meng-Qiang
authors.initials: MQ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Morgane
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sedran
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.forename: Maria R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Lukatskaya
authors.forename: Olha
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mashtalir
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghidiu
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dyatkin
authors.forename: Darin J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Tallman
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Djenizian
authors.forename: Michel W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Barsoum
authors.forename: Yury
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gogotsi
keywords: C/S nanolaminates; MAX phase; electrochemical etching; layered structures; selective extraction