(C re d it: C re d it: R ad ov ic a nd B en ite z; T A M U .) T he term “MAX phases” was coined in the late 1990s and applies to a family of 60+ ternary carbides and nitrides that share a layered structure as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. They are so called because of their chemical formula: Mn+1AXn —where n = 1, 2, or 3, where M is an early transition metal, A is an A-group element (specific...