Exploring the Influence of Critical Parameters for the Effective Synthesis of High-Quality 2D MXene

Abstract

Recently, a new class of two-dimensional (2D) materials, called MXene, consisting of layers of transition-metal carbides and nitrides/carbonitrides has been introduced. MXene, a multifunctional material with hydrophilic nature and excellent electrical conductivity and chemical stabilities, can be applied in diverse research areas such as energy harvesting and its storage, water purification, thermal dissipation, and gas sensing. To achieve the best quality of MXene, optimization of some important synthetic parameters is highly required such as an optimized etchant concentration to remove an “A” element from the MAX phase and sonication time for the efficient exfoliation of MXene flakes. Besides, there is a need to disclose that particular solvent through which intercalation can easily be achieved. In this work, we optimized the abovementioned critical parameters for the synthesis of good-quality MXene. Our results clearly explain the variations in the quality of MXene under applied etchant concentrations, solvents for better intercalation, and optimization of sonication time for better exfoliation. The obtained results suggest that 30% HF as an etchant, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a solvent, and 135 min as the sonication time are effective parameters for the synthesis of good-quality MXene. We expect that this report will be helpful for the young research community to synthesize good-quality MXene with the required properties.

Synthesis, Characterization, Photocatalysis, and Antibacterial Study of WO3, MXene and WO3/MXene Nanocomposite

“…After 24 h of the reaction, the characteristic peak of MAX at (104) vanished, as shown in Figure 3a. A peak shift was also observed in the peak at 9.11 • [57].…”

Investigation and Optimization of Mxene Functionalized Mesoporous Titania Films as Efficient Photoelectrodes

“…To date, numerous Mxenes composed of various transition elements have been studied, including Ti 2 CT x ,V 2 CT x , and Mo 2 CT x , where T signifies surface functional groups (−O, −OH, −F) [ 27 , 28 ]. The distinct structural phase and attached surface functionalities induce unusual characteristics in Mxene scaffolds, such as metallic conductivity, surface plasmon effects, hydrophilicity, greater surface area, and the ability to anchor a broad range of intercalates [ 29 , 30 , 31 ]. At present, most Mxenes are synthesized by etching Ti 3 AlC 2 in HF acid due to the low reduction potential of Al [ 32 ].…”

Recent advances in MXene-based force sensors: a mini-review

“…20 To obtain better quality monolayer MXene, many new improvements have been proposed. N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF), 21,22 N-methyl-2pyrrolidone (NMP), 23 and DMSO [24][25][26] are proved to be "good solvents" for Ti 3 C 2 T x akes by Gogotsi et al 27 Zhang et al successfully developed a tuned microenvironment method (TMM) for the preparation of highly concentrated MXene organic solvents to obtain a large delaminated product yield, which can easily achieve a yield of 63.9% for a single layer of MXene and close to 100% if the material is continuously collected. 21 Better solubility and single-layer MXene production will signicantly increase productivity and reduce costs, laying a good foundation for large-scale hardware fabrication.…”