Van der Waals Transition Metal Carbo-Chalcogenides: Theoretical Screening and Charge Storage

Abstract

High-rate lithium/sodium ion batteries or capacitors are the most promising functional units to achieve fast energy storage that highly depends on charge host materials. Host materials with lamellar structures are a good choice for hybrid charge storage hosts (capacitor or redox type). Emerging layered transition metal carbo-chalcogenides (TMCC) with homogeneous sulfur termination are especially attractive for charge storage. Using density functional theory calculations, six of 30 potential TMCC are screened to be stable, metallic, anisotropic in electronic conduction and mechanical properties due to the lamellar structures. Raman, infrared active modes and frequencies of the six TMCC are well assigned. Interlayer coupling, especially binding energies predict that the bulk layered materials can be easily exfoliated into 2D monolayers. Moreover, Ti₂S₂C, Zr₂S₂C are identified as the most gifted Li⁺/Na⁺ anode materials with relatively high capacities, moderate volume expansion, relatively low Li⁺/Na⁺ migration barriers for batteries or ion-hybrid capacitors. This work provides a foundation for rational materials design, synthesis, and identification of the emerging 2D family of TMCC.

Keywords: DFT calculations; rechargeable ion battery; stability; transition metal carbo‐chalcogenide; van der Waals solid.