Researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME), in collaboration with the University of Illinois Chicago and Vanderbilt University, have developed a revolutionary new method for synthesizing MXenes—remarkable two-dimensional materials with applications ranging from energy storage to electromagnetic shielding.
The breakthrough technique, published in Nature Synthesis, reduces manufacturing costs by “at least two orders of magnitude” (100 times cheaper) while achieving 90% purity compared to the previous 60% benchmark. The new method eliminates the need for dangerous chemicals like hydrofluoric acid and dramatically reduces waste.
From Dangerous Chemistry to Elegant Synthesis
MXenes (pronounced “Maxene”) are atomically thin layers of transition metals first discovered in 2011 with extraordinary potential for batteries, supercapacitors, catalysts, ultrastrong lightweight composites, and electromagnetic interference shielding.
However, traditional manufacturing has been a significant bottleneck. The conventional method involves days of high-temperature processing followed by etching with highly dangerous hydrofluoric acid or molten salts—expensive, hazardous, and wasteful.
“MXenes have been made by a very elaborate, multi-step process that involved days of high-temperature work, followed by using dangerous chemicals like hydrofluoric acid and created a lot of waste,” said Prof. Dmitri Talapin, UChicago Ernest DeWitt Burton Distinguished Service Professor at UChicago PME and Department of Chemistry. “That may have been okay for early-stage research and lab exploration, but became a big roadblock for taking the next step to large-scale applications.”
Building 2D Materials “Page by Page”
The new technique uses chemical vapor deposition to create MXenes atom-by-atom from the bottom up—a fundamental shift from the conventional “carving” approach.
“It’s like trying to carve a book out of a block of wood,” explained co-author Prof. Robert Klie, head of the University of Illinois Chicago Physics Department. “Our new method builds that book the way it should be made—page by page.”
The breakthrough also uses safer, more affordable precursor chemicals. Instead of highly reactive titanium tetrachloride (so corrosive it etches plastic syringes), the new method employs tetrachloroethylene—a chemical so stable and inexpensive it’s commonly used to decaffeinate coffee beans.
Inspired by a Forgotten 1986 Paper
The innovation was sparked by rediscovering obscure research from the late chemistry legend John Corbett at Iowa State University.
“We came across a forgotten paper by the great John Corbett at Iowa State University that very few people knew about and that showed the chemistry that we found inspirational for the development of our ideas,” Talapin said.
Corbett’s 1986 paper described synthesizing layered zirconium chloride carbide—structurally similar to MXenes, which wouldn’t be discovered for another 25 years.
Why MXenes Matter
MXenes’ unique properties make them ideal for next-generation technologies:
- Energy Storage: Conductive 2D layers can host ions between them, making them excellent for batteries and supercapacitors
- Catalysts: Tunable surface chemistry enables selective chemical reactions
- Electronics: From flexible displays to electromagnetic shielding
- Advanced Materials: Ultrastrong lightweight composites for aerospace and automotive applications
“MXenes are widely explored, particularly for energy-storage applications, because they consist of conductive two-dimensional layers that can host ions between them,” said co-author Noah Mason, a PhD student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow in Talapin’s lab. “They also have tunable surface groups, which can be chemically tailored to control which ions are stored, how favorable that storage is, and how efficiently ions flow into and out of the layers.”
From Lab to Large-Scale Applications
The dramatic cost reduction and improved safety profile remove key barriers to commercial adoption.
“What’s exciting about this paper is it’s a new way of doing chemical synthesis, using a new set of organic precursors, that allows us to achieve these 2D materials more efficiently,” said co-author Prof. De-en Jiang, the H. Eugene McBrayer Professor of Chemical Engineering at Vanderbilt University.
First author Di Wang, formerly a UChicago PhD student in Talapin’s lab and now a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University, explained: “In the 2023 paper, we didn’t show a very high yield or purity of the MXenes in our final product. We could not make it higher than 60 weight percent. In this paper, we achieved 90 weight percent. We not only discovered a new reaction, but started to learn about the secret behind the synthesis.”
Science for Science’s Sake
Talapin emphasized that adapting Corbett’s four-decade-old work demonstrates the enduring value of pure exploratory research.
“This shows the value of pure exploratory research—science for science’s sake, leaving the results for future scientists to find practical applications,” he said.
The research was enabled by the NSF Center for Chemical Innovation on MXenes Synthesis, Tunability and Reactivity (M-STAR), which brings together chemists, materials scientists, physicists, and chemical engineers to pioneer interdisciplinary approaches to MXene innovation.
