Exfoliation of Titanium Aluminum Carbide (211 MAX Phase) to Form Nanofibers and Two-Dimensional Nanosheets and Their Application in Aqueous-Phase Cadmium Sequestration.

A green approach was adopted to exfoliate a TiAlC MAX phase. The exfoliated nanostructures (Alk-TiC and Alk-TiC) with exceptional mechanical, thermal, and water stabilites, as well as abundant oxygenated active binding sites, were synthesized via a controlled hydrothermal treatment in an alkaline environment. The successful synthesis of nanofibers and sheetlike nanostructures was inferred with scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, field-emission transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area, ζ-potential analyses, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were utilized to investigate the material's characteristics and its structural changes after metal ion adsorption. Heavy metal ion adsorption of the synthesized nanostructures was assessed in batch tests based on Cd ion sequestration; the maximum adsorption capacity for Cd was 325.89 mg/g, which is among the highest values reported for similar materials such as graphene oxide and its derivatives. The detailed quantitative investigation confirmed the interaction of hydroxyl groups with Cd ions by electrostatic interactions, adsorption-coupled oxidation, and complex formation. Owing to their unique structure, high porosity, large specific surface area, and oxygenated functional groups, Alk-TiC nanosheets were highly time-efficient for Cd removal. Moreover, Alk-TiC and Alk-TiC nanostructures were tested for simulated groundwater, showing that synthesized nanostructures were capable for removing Cd ions at the ppb level. The results obtained from this study suggested that nanostructures synthesized using this route could provide a new approach to prepare and exfoliate additional MAX phases for the removal of heavy metal ions and other pollutants in the environment.