Materials Science World Congress

MXenes: New Two-Dimensional Material with Tremendous Application

MXenes are one of the youngest and most promising types of 2D materials due to their high properties and numerous applications. These materials are based on transition metals carbides, nitrides, or carbonitrides and are developed from the family of ceramics called MAX phases. What really sets MXenes apart from other materials, is that they are as conductive as metals, yet flexible like 2D materials.

The most attractive field is the use of MXenes in energy storage, where it exhibits excellent performance as a supercapacitor and a battery. They possess high electrical conductivity and a large surface-to-volume ratio which qualifies them to improve the efficiency of energy-related products. Their efficiency in moving charges; ions and electrons enhances the rate of charge and discharge enhancing energy density and efficiency. This has raised a lot of interest in employing the MXenes in manufacturing lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors, the next-generation energy storage.

They also have applications in electronics and optoelectronics In addition, MXenes have attracted interest for use in electronics as well as in optoelectronics. They have metallic conductivity and are becoming popular for flexible electronics such as sensors and flexible wearable devices. Furthermore, due to the fact that the surface chemistry of MXenes can be easily tailored, new opportunities to use these materials as transparent conductive films and electromagnetic shielding materials appear.

In the area of application of catalysis, of late, MXenes are being utilized in order to act as a catalyst in chemical reactions. Its high surface area coupled with its chemical inertness, also makes it suitable for use in catalysis in processes such as hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) and CO2 reduction.

As research into MXenes keeps on being carried out, these materials are believed to drastically change various industries including renewable energy and electronics. Due to their individual qualities, they are fit for various applications and are considered to be promising materials for the 2D materials universe.