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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.

 

2D rare-earth metal carbides (MXenes) are attractive due to their novel electronic and magnetic properties and their potential as scalable 2D magnets. In this study, we used density functional theory with the Hubbard U correction to characterize the structure, termination, and magnetism in an out-of-plane ordered rare-earth containing M 3 C 2 T x MXene, Mo 2 NdC 2 T 2 (T = O or OH). We investigated the effect of the U parameter on the stability and magnetism of two possible termination sites: the hollow sites aligned with the inner Nd atoms (Nd-hollow sites) and those aligned with the closest C atoms (C-hollow sites). We found that increasing U Mo stabilized the Nd hollow sites, which minimized electrostatic repulsion between C and O atoms. Using U Mo  = 3.0 eV and U Nd  = 5.6 eV, obtained via the linear response method, we found that the energetically preferred termination site was C-hollow in Mo 2 NdC 2 O 2 and Nd-hollow in Mo 2 NdC 2 (OH) 2 . Regardless of termination and the Hubbard U value, we found Mo 2 NdC 2 O 2 and Mo 2 NdC 2 (OH) 2 to be magnetic. The C-hollow termination resulted in ferromagnetic states for all Hubbard U tested with no magnetic moment in Mo. In the case of Nd-hollow, Mo became magnetic for U Mo  ≥ 4 eV. The difference of Mo magnetism in Nd-hollow and C-hollow was explained by crystal field splitting of the Mo d orbital caused by a distorted ligand.