Our joint research on a porous Ti₃AlC₂ MAX phase for the efficient synthesis of Ti₃C₂Tₓ MXene has been recognized as one of the Top 10 most cited papers in the International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology (IJACT)
We congratulate all co-authors on this achievement and thank our collaborators from Carbon-Ukraine (Y-Carbon LLC), Drexel Nanomaterials Institute (USA), and the Materials Research Centre for their contributions.
MXenes are among the most активно studied 2D materials due to their versatility and outstanding properties, enabling applications in energy storage, electronics, and sensing. However, the synthesis of MAX phases — their precursors — has remained largely unchanged and not optimized for MXene production.
In this work, we developed a porous Ti₃AlC₂ MAX phase tailored for efficient MXene synthesis. With ~70% porosity, it can be easily broken into grains manually, eliminating the need for drilling and intensive ball milling.
This approach also uses low-cost titanium sponge instead of fine powders. The resulting Ti₃C₂Tₓ MXene shows improved properties, including larger flakes and higher electrical conductivity.
Our findings also provide insight into reaction sintering and can be extended to other MAX phases, enabling more scalable MXene production. At MRC and Carbon-Ukraine / Y-Carbon LLC, we are helping drive the future of MXene materials.