The nanomaterial MXene is used for battery technology or as a high-performance lubricant. Until now, its production was difficult and toxic. New methods for its creation have been developed at TU Wien.
It is one of the most significant trends in materials science: materials that consist of only a single layer of atoms, so-called "2D materials," often show completely different properties than thicker layers consisting of the same atoms. This field of research began with the Nobel Prize-winning material graphene.
Now, research is being conducted into the material class of MXenes (pronounced Maxenes), which consist mainly of titanium and carbon, by TU Wien (Vienna) together with the companies CEST and AC2T.
These MXenes have properties that sound almost miraculous: they can be used for electromagnetic shielding, for energy storage or for novel sensors. At TU Wien, it was found that they are also amazingly suitable as solid lubricants, even under the harshest conditions, for example in space technology.
The only problem so far has been that producing these MXenes was considered extremely dangerous and toxic. But now a new method has been developed: instead of a toxic acid, electricity is used. The new synthesis method has now been published in the journal Small.
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