  Layered nanolaminate ternary carbides, nitrides and carbonitrides with
general formula Mn+1AXn or MAX (n = 1, 2, or 3, M is an early transition metal,
A is mostly group 13 or 14 element, and X is C and/or N) has revolutionized the
world of nanomaterials, due to the coexistence of both ceramic and metallic
nature, giving rise to exceptional mechanical, thermal, electrical, chemical
properties and wide range of applications. Although several solid-state bulk
synthesis methods have been developed to produce a variety of MAX phases,
however, for certain applications, the growth of MAX phases, especially in its
high-quality epitaxial thin films form is of increasing interest. Here, we
summarize the progress made thus far in epitaxial growth and property
evaluation of MAX phase thin films grown by various deposition techniques. We
also address the important future research directions to be made in terms of
thin-film growth. Overall, in the future, high-quality single-phase epitaxial
thin film growth and engineering of chemically diverse MAX phases may open up
interesting new avenues for next-generation technology.
