Impact of Cation Intercalation on the Electronic Structure of TiCT MXenes in Sulfuric Acid.

Intercalation in TiCT MXene is essential for a diverse set of applications such as water purification, desalination, electrochemical energy storage, and sensing. The interlayer spacing between the TiCT nanosheets can be controlled by cation intercalation; however, the impact of intercalation on the TiCT MXene chemical and electronic structures is not well understood. Herein, we characterized the electronic structure of pristine, Li-, Na-, K-, and Mg-intercalated TiCT MXenes dispersed initially in water and 10 mM sulfuric acid (HSO) using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS).

Dopant size effects on novel functionalities: High-temperature interfacial superconductivity.

Among the range of complex interactions, especially at the interfaces of epitaxial oxide systems, contributing to the occurrence of intriguing effects, a predominant role is played by the local structural parameters. In this study, oxide molecular beam epitaxy grown lanthanum cuprate-based bilayers (consisting of a metallic (M) and an insulating phase (I)), in which high-temperature superconductivity arises as a consequence of interface effects, are considered. With the aim of assessing the role of the dopant size on local crystal structure and chemistry, and on the interface functionalities, different dopants (Ca, Sr and, Ba) are employed in the M-phase, and the M-I bilayers are investigated by complementary techniques, including spherical-aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy.