There is a large family of ternary carbides (ternary is an adjective meaning ‘composed of three’) with the general formula Mn+1AXn, where n = 1–3, M denotes a transition metal, A is an element such as Aluminum or silicon, and X is either carbon or nitrogen. Researchers have termed these ductile and machine able ceramics MAX phases.
MXenes, discovered in 2011, are ceramics that comprise one of the largest families of two-dimensional materials. MXenes are made from a bulk crystal called MAX. Unlike most 2D ceramics, MXenes have inherently good conductivity because they are molecular sheets made from the carbides and nitrides of transition metals like titanium. This gives them exciting potential in next-generation energy storage applications.
