First observation on emergence of strong room-temperature ferroelectricity and multiferroicity in 2D-Ti(3)C(2)T(x) free-standing MXene film

Two-dimensional (2D) multiferroics are key candidate materials towards advancement of smart technology. Here, we employed a simple synthesis approach to address the long-awaited dream of developing ferroelectric and multiferroic 2D materials, especially in the new class of materials called MXenes. The etched Ti(3)C(2)T(x) MXene was first synthesized after HF-treatment followed by a delamination process for successful synthesis of free-standing Ti(3)C(2)T(x) film. The free-standing film was then exposed to air at room-temperature and heated at different temperatures to form a TiO(2) layer derived from the Ti(3)C(2)T(x) MXene itself. The ferroelectric measurement showed a clear polarization hysteresis loop at room-temperature. Also, due to the reported ferromagnetic behavior of Ti(3)C(2)T(x) MXene, our composite could show multiferroic properties at room-temperature. The magnetoelectric coupling test was also performed that showed a clear, switchable spontaneous polarization under applied magnetic field. TiO(2) is reported to be an incipient ferroelectric that assumes a ferroelectric phase in composite form. The structural and morphological analysis confirmed successful synthesis of free-standing film and the Raman spectroscopy revealed the formation of different phases of TiO(2) and the observed ferroelectricity could be due to structural deformation as a result of the formation of this new phase. The measured value of remanent polarization is 0.5 μC cm(−2). This is the first report on the existence of a ferroelectric phase and multiferroic coupling in 2D free-standing MXene film at room-temperature which opens-up the possibility of 2D material-based electric and magnetic data storage applications at room-temperature.