In-Situ Growth of ZnO Whiskers on TiZnC MAX Phases.

ZnO whiskers have many applications, such as in medical and photocatalysis fields. In this study, an unconventional preparation approach is reported, realizing the in-situ growth of ZnO whiskers on TiZnC. The weak bonding between the layer of TiC-octahedron and the Zn-atom layers leads to the easy extraction of Zn atoms from TiZnC lattice points, resulting in the formation of ZnO whiskers on the TiZnC surface. This is the first time that ZnO whiskers have been found to grow in-situ on TiZnC substrate. Further, this phenomenon is amplified when the size of the TiZnC grains is mechanically reduced by ball-milling, which bodes a promising route to prepare ZnO in-situ on a large scale. Additionally, this finding can also help us better understand the stability of TiZnC and the whiskering mechanism of MAX phases.