Nanomechanical Properties of Ti₃C₂ Mxene

MXene is a new type of two-dimensional (2D) material that finds wide applications; however, its adhesion and tribological properties have not yet been fully revealed. Here, the chemical structure of MXene was revealed by X-ray diffraction, and the adhesion and friction behaviors of MXene were studied with atomic force microscopy (AFM) Nanoman technology. It was found in AFM tests that MXene exhibited enhanced adhesion and friction at higher pressure but exhibited reduced adhesion and friction at elevated temperature, while the sliding speed and delay time of the AFM probe have negligible effects on the friction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to reveal the change in the chemical structure of MXene at different temperatures. We found increased oxidation, and replacement of C by O atoms occurred on MXene at higher temperatures, which has a profound impact on the adhesion and friction between MXene and the probe tip. This discovery lays the foundation for understanding the adhesion mechanism and the dynamic adhesion behavior in friction of MXene, rendering MXene a much broader application prospect.