Abstract:
This work reports emergence of ferroelectricity and multiferroicity in Ti3C2Tx MXene free standing film after introduction of BiFeO3 (BFO), Z12 and Z13 nanoparticles at room-temperature.
The nanoparticles and Ti3C2Tx MXene ink were separately synthesized, followed by dispersion of
nanoparticles in MXene ink. Structural and optical analysis was performed using X-ray diffraction
(XRD) and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. The introduction of BFO (Bismuth Ferrite) and
BFO-doped nanoparticles into the layered structure of Ti3C2Tx resulted in distinct polarization
versus electric field measurements. These measurements revealed previously unseen ferroelectric
and multiferroic behavior in the MXene film, which was not observed in its pristine state.
Furthermore, after subjecting the intercalated MXene to heat treatment, we observed enhanced
ferroelectric characteristics. This enhancement can be attributed to the oxidation process affecting
the Ti3C2Tx MXene. It's worth noting that the highly reactive titanium atoms within the Ti3C2Tx
MXene play a pivotal role in generating crystalline TiO2. It's crucial to emphasize that the
oxidation of the prepared films is not complete, resulting in the coexistence of unreacted MXene
within the core and oxide particles on the surface. The incorporation of BFO into the intercalated
MXene has brought about multiferroic behavior, owing to the ferromagnetic characteristics
exhibited by BFO. Contrary to our previous report on ferroelectricity induced only after heat
treatment in Ti3C2Tx MXene film. Here, we presented an alternate route to induce ferroelectricity
and multiferroicity in MXene that will be useful for future data storage applications.
