Plasmon spectroscopy for the determination of Ti3C2T x MXene few layer stacks architecture

Like many 2D materials, numerous properties of MXene multilayers, and especially the most popular one Ti3C2T x , have been shown to significantly depend on their architecture, i.e. the number of layers and interlayer distance. These structural parameters are thus key elements to be characterized for the analysis of MXene properties. Focusing on valence electron energy-loss spectroscopy (VEELS) as performed in a transmission electron microscope (TEM), and using density functional theory (DFT) simulations, we here analyze the layer dependent large changes in the VEEL spectra of Ti3C2T x multilayers as a probe of their total thickness, and emphasize the bulk plasmon energy sensitivity to interlayer distance. Together these findings allow to directly quantify the absolute number of layers in a Ti3C2T x stack up to similar to 10 nm thickness and give access to interlayer distance modifications with sub-angstrom sensitivity, evidencing VEELS as a powerful method for the characterization of MXene multilayers on the nanometer scale. We expect these results to be relevant for the study of structure/properties correlations in this class of materials, especially with the development of in situ or environmental TEM experiments.

Automated summary

Properties of MXene multilayers, including the popular Ti3C2T x , are found to depend on their architecture. This study uses VEELS and DFT simulations to analyze layer-dependent changes in VEEL spectra as a probe of total thickness and plasmon energy sensitivity to interlayer distance. The results demonstrate the capability of VEELS to quantify layer number and modify interlayer distance with high precision, making it a powerful method for characterizing MXene multilayers on the nanoscale.