We are facing many exciting challenges in materials science and being able to produce high-quality and new materials plays a key role in unraveling the almost endless list of open research questions and developing new technologies. My group focuses on the synthesis of new layered compounds (MAX phases) and 2D materials. MAX phases are ternary transition metal-based carbides and nitrides that crystallize in a layered structure with space group P63/mmc. They are unique compounds because they can be described as ceramic metals (they are electrically and thermally conductive) and metallic ceramics (showing high temperature and oxidation resistance). Traditionally, they are prepared by high-temperature solid-state methods, oftentimes under pressure, and the formation of side phases (binary carbides/nitrides and intermetallics) is very common and a challenge in the materials science community. In this talk, I will show innovative synthesis strategies to access MAX phases that lead to new members as well as novel microstructures of these types of materials. We study their (local) structure by X-ray and neutron diffraction and focus on their complex and unique transport properties.

Expanding the compositional and microstructural space of MAX phases

ACS Fall 2021

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