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Room‐Temperature Carbide‐Derived Carbon Synthesis by Electrochemical Etching of MAX Phases
Author(s) -
Lukatskaya Maria R.,
Halim Joseph,
Dyatkin Boris,
Naguib Michael,
Buranova Yulia S.,
Barsoum Michel W.,
Gogotsi Yury
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201402513
Subject(s) - carbide , materials science , supercapacitor , carbon fibers , ternary operation , chemical engineering , amorphous solid , electrochemistry , microporous material , etching (microfabrication) , carbide derived carbon , glassy carbon , anode , electrode , nanotechnology , metallurgy , composite material , carbon nanotube , cyclic voltammetry , chemistry , organic chemistry , composite number , layer (electronics) , computer science , engineering , carbon nanofiber , programming language
Abstract Porous carbons are widely used in energy storage and gas separation applications, but their synthesis always involves high temperatures. Herein we electrochemically selectively extract, at ambient temperature, the metal atoms from the ternary layered carbides, Ti 3 AlC 2 , Ti 2 AlC and Ti 3 SiC 2 (MAX phases). The result is a predominantly amorphous carbide‐derived carbon, with a narrow distribution of micropores. The latter is produced by placing the carbides in HF, HCl or NaCl solutions and applying anodic potentials. The pores that form when Ti 3 AlC 2 is etched in dilute HF are around 0.5 nm in diameter. This approach forgoes energy‐intensive thermal treatments and presents a novel method for developing carbons with finely tuned pores for a variety of applications, such as supercapacitor, battery electrodes or CO 2 capture.