title: Atomically Resolved Structural and Chemical Investigation of Single MXene Sheets.
abstract: The properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials depend strongly on the chemical and electrochemical activity of their surfaces. MXene, one of the most recent additions to 2D materials, shows great promise as an energy storage material. In the present investigation, the chemical and structural properties of individual Ti3C2 MXene sheets with associated surface groups are investigated at the atomic level by aberration corrected STEM-EELS. The MXene sheets are shown to exhibit a nonuniform coverage of O-based surface groups which locally affect the chemistry. Additionally, native point defects which are proposed to affect the local surface chemistry, such as oxidized titanium adatoms (TiOx), are identified and found to be mobile.
authors.affiliation: †Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Linda H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Karlsson
authors.affiliation: †Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Birch
authors.affiliation: †Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Halim
authors.affiliation: †Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Michel W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Barsoum
authors.affiliation: †Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Per O Å
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Persson
keywords: MXene; Ti3C2Tx; aberration corrected STEM; surface chemistry; surface termination