Scalable, High-Yield Monolayer MXene Preparation from Multilayer MXene for Many Applications

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Titanium carbide (Ti₃C₂T_x) MXene possesses excellent conductivity and hydrophilicity.
• Low yield of MXene monolayers currently limits industrial scalability.
• Conventional methods for monolayer production often require low temperatures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a scalable method for significantly enhancing MXene monolayer yield.
• To investigate the effect of high-temperature ultrasound on MXene delamination.
• To demonstrate the potential of high-yield MXene for industrial applications.

Main Methods:

• Disruption of hydrogen-bonding cage confinement in multilayer MXene using high-temperature ultrasound (approx. 70°C).
• Ultrasonic cavitation to generate microbubbles for interlayer penetration and delamination.
• Characterization of resulting monolayer nanosheets and their properties.

Main Results:

• Achieved up to 95% yield of monolayer MXene in minutes, surpassing traditional methods.
• High-yield MXene nanosheets exhibit comparable properties to those from ice-bath methods.
• Demonstrated excellent printing and processing capabilities of high-concentration MXene ink.
• Resulting products showed superior infrared stealth and Joule heating characteristics.

Conclusions:

• High-temperature ultrasound is an effective strategy to overcome the low yield bottleneck in MXene production.
• This method challenges conventional temperature limitations for MXene monolayer preparation.
• The scalable, high-yield approach paves the way for widespread technological and industrial adoption of MXene.