Abstract
Nanolaminated materials including magnetic elements are of special interest for commonly observed nontrivial magnetic characteristics and as potential precursors for 2D materials. Here, we explore the previously unknown layered phase M2Al2C3, where M = Sc and Er. Sc2Al2C3 was synthesized as single crystals of ∼mm2 size, and its structure was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction and scanning transmission electron microscopy. Evaluation of phase stability and possible vacancy formation based on first-principles calculations confirms the attained phase and suggests full occupancy on both the Al and C sites. Potential realization of the hypothetical phase Y2Al2C3 is also proposed. Furthermore, we also demonstrate that Er2Al2C3 can be synthesized in powder form, providing experimental evidence for stoichiometries based on rare earth elements, which, in turn, suggests possible incorporation of other lanthanides.
Highlights
Nanolaminated materials are interesting for, e.g., their commonly observed anisotropic properties
The crystals were found to degrade under ambient condition in approximately 1 week, and they were kept in a glovebox before characterization
We determined the structure of single crystal Sc2Al2C3 by single crystal X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), while the crystal structure of a powder sample of Er2Al2C3 was determined by STEM
Summary
Nanolaminated materials are interesting for, e.g., their commonly observed anisotropic properties One such example is the family of MAX phases, being atomically laminated metal carbides/nitrides of the general formula Mn+1AXn, where M is a transition metal, A is an A group element, and X is carbon and/or nitrogen (n = 1−3).[1,2] More recently, the definition of M has been expanded to include rare earth (RE) elements.[3,4] MAX phases show a unique combination of ceramic and metallic properties and are promising for various applications, such as structural materials for extreme environment and Ohmic contact for semiconductors.[5,6] Among their interesting properties are their diverse magnetic characteristics, observed for Mn-based phases[7,8] as well as RE-based MAX phase quaternaries.[3] Besides MAX phases, there are other laminated materials with alternating metal carbide and aluminum carbide layers, being structurally related to MAX phases and of interest for studying magnetism. YbAl3C3, with alternating Yb layers and Al-C layers, is a twodimensional spin-singlet system.[9]
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