Elastic and Mechanical Properties of the MAX Phases

The more than 60 ternary carbides and nitrides, with the general formula M n +1 AX n —where n = 1, 2, or 3; M is an early transition metal; A is an A-group element (a subset of groups 13–16); and X is C and/or N—represent a new class of layered solids, where M n +1 X n layers are interleaved with pure A-group element layers. The growing interest in the M n +1 AX n phases lies in their unusual, and sometimes unique, set of properties that can be traced back to their layered nature and the fact that basal dislocations multiply and are mobile at room temperature. Because of their chemical and structural similarities, the MAX phases and their corresponding MX phases share many physical and chemical properties. In…

• DU
  Drexel University
• DO
  Division of Materials Research
• AF
  Air Force Office of Scientific Research