Chemical Conversions within the Mo-Ga-C System: Layered Solids with Variable Ga Content.

Layered carbides are fascinating compounds due to their enormous structural and chemical diversity, as well as their potential to possess useful and tunable functional properties. Their preparation, however, is challenging and forces synthesis scientists to develop creative and innovative strategies to access high-quality materials. One unique compound among carbides is MoGaC.

Extending the Chemistry of Layered Solids and Nanosheets: Chemistry and Structure of MAX Phases, MAB Phases and MXenes.

MAX phases are layered solids with unique properties combining characteristics of ceramics and metals. MXenes are their two-dimensional siblings that can be synthesized as van der Waals-stacked and multi-/single-layer nanosheets, which possess chemical and physical properties that make them interesting for a plethora of applications. Both families of materials are highly versatile in terms of their chemical composition and theoretical studies suggest that many more members are stable and can be synthesized.

From MAX Phase Carbides to Nitrides: Synthesis of VGaC, VGaN, and the Carbonitride VGaCN.

The research in MAX phases is mainly concentrated on the investigation of carbides rather than nitrides (currently >150 carbides and only <15 nitrides) that are predominantly synthesized by conventional solid-state techniques. This is not surprising since the preparation of nitrides and carbonitrides is more demanding due to the high stability and low diffusion rate of nitrogen-containing compounds. This leads to several drawbacks concerning potential variations in the chemical composition of the MAX phases as well as control of morphology, the two aspects that directly affect the resulting materials properties.