Search for: All records

Multiple principal element or high-entropy materials have recently been studied in the two-dimensional (2D) materials phase space. These promising classes of materials combine the unique behavior of solid-solution and entropy-stabilized systems with high aspect ratios and atomically thin characteristics of 2D materials. The current experimental space of these materials includes 2D transition metal oxides, carbides/carbonitrides/nitrides (MXenes), dichalcogenides, and hydrotalcites. However, high-entropy 2D materials have the potential to expand into other types, such as 2D metal-organic frameworks, 2D transition metal carbo-chalcogenides, and 2D transition metal borides (MBenes). Here, we discuss the entropy stabilization from bulk to 2D systems, the effects of disordered multi-valent elements on lattice distortion and local electronic structures and elucidate how these local changes influence the catalytic and electrochemical behavior of these 2D high-entropy materials. We also provide a perspective on 2D high-entropy materials research and its challenges and discuss the importance of this emerging field of nanomaterials in designing tunable compositions with unique electronic structures for energy, catalytic, electronic, and structural applications.

Lithium‐ion and sodium‐ion batteries (LIBs and SIBs) are crucial in our shift toward sustainable technologies. In this work, the potential of layered boride materials (MoAlB and Mo₂AlB₂) as novel, high‐performance electrode materials for LIBs and SIBs, is explored. It is discovered that Mo₂AlB₂shows a higher specific capacity than MoAlB when used as an electrode material for LIBs, with a specific capacity of 593 mAh g⁻¹achieved after 500 cycles at 200 mA g⁻¹. It is also found that surface redox reactions are responsible for Li storage in Mo₂AlB₂, instead of intercalation or conversion. Moreover, the sodium hydroxide treatment of MoAlB leads to a porous morphology and higher specific capacities exceeding that of pristine MoAlB. When tested in SIBs, Mo₂AlB₂exhibits a specific capacity of 150 mAh g⁻¹at 20 mA g⁻¹. These findings suggest that layered borides have potential as electrode materials for both LIBs and SIBs, and highlight the importance of surface redox reactions in Li storage mechanisms.