A Novel Two-Dimensional Rare-Earth Carbide Synthesized by Selective Etching Al-C Slab from Nanolaminated YAl 3C 3

A novel rare-earth-based YCxTδ two-dimensional metal carbides (MXene), with feather-like morphology and hexagonal structure, has been prepared by selective etching of a nanolaminated precursor YAl3C3 non-transition-metal-aluminium-carbides (non-MAX) phase. By analyzing the gas products and first-principle calculation, the chemical reaction is concluded. The YCxTδ MXene shows high reversible gravimetric specific capacity of ~84 mAh/g as Li ion battery anode and a specific capacitance of 18 F/g as electrode of super capacitors. These intriguing properties suggest the promising application potentials of high-abundance Y in energy storage.