Transmission Electron Microscopy of 2D Materials: Structure and Surface Properties

Abstract

During recent years, new types of materials have been discovered with unique properties. One family of such materials are two-dimensional materials, which include graphene and MXene. These materials are stronger, more flexible, and have higher conductivity than other materials. As such they are highly interesting for new applications, e.g. specialized in vivo drug delivery systems, hydrogen storage, or as replacements of common materials in e.g. batteries, bulletproof clothing, and sensors. The list of potential applications is long for these new materials. As these materials are almost entirely made up of surfaces, their properties are strongly influenced by interaction between their surfaces, as well as with molecules or adatoms attached to the surfaces (surface groups). This interaction can change the materials and their properties, and it is therefore imperative to understand the underlying mechanisms. Surface groups on two-dimensional materials can be studied by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), where high energy electrons are transmitted through a sample and the resulting image is recorded. However, the high energy needed to get enough resolution to observe single atoms damages the sample and limits the type of materials which can be analyzed. Lowering the electron energy decreases the damage, but the image resolution at such conditions is severely limited by inherent imperfections (aberrations) in the TEM. During the last years, new TEM models have been developed which employ a low acceleration voltage together with aberration correction, enabling imaging at the atomic scale without damaging the samples. These aberration-corrected TEMs are important tools in understanding the structure and chemistry of two-dimensional materials. In this thesis the two-dimensional materials graphene and Ti3C2Tx MXene have been investigated by low-voltage, aberration-corrected (scanning) TEM. High temperature annealing of graphene covered by residues from the synthesis is stud- ied, as well as the structure and surface groups on single and double Ti3C2Tx MXene. These results are important contributions to the understanding of this class of materials and how their properties can be controlled.