Patent Application: Highly Porous Max Phase Precursor For MXene
Inventors: Yury Gogotsi, Oleksiy Gogotsi, Iryna Roslyk, Veronika Zahorodna, Ivan Baginskiy, Robert Lord
Publication number: 20250136452
Publication date: May 1, 2025
Technical field: The present disclosure relates to the field of material science and to the fields of MAX-phase and MXene materials.
Abstract: A method, comprising: forming a porous MAX-phase material. A MAX-phase material, the MAX-phase material made according to the present disclosure. A MXene material, the MXene material formed by removal of the A-group element of a MAX-phase material made according to the present disclosure.
Type: Application
Filed: October 18, 2024
Publication date: May 1, 2025
Background: Since MXenes' discovery, obtaining porous MAX phase precursors, such as Ti3AlC2, for the synthesis of MXenes, such as Ti3C2, became an important task. The low-density MAX phase can be crushed into powder with little force and without extensive milling. This not only decreases the cost of manufacturing, but also avoids lattice distortion of the MAX phase and produces a higher quality MXene. Conventionally, MAX phases are produced by hot pressing, hot isostatic pressing, or pressureless sintering, as they were developed for structural applications requiring dense and mechanically strong materials. All those methods lead to hard and strong sintered bodies that require crushing and high-energy milling to produce a powder. A traditional approach to manufacturing porous Ti—Al—C and some other ceramics is to add different additives in the mixture such as NaCl that prevent complete sintering and can be removed during or after processing. However, any addition to the mixture can lead to contamination of the MAX phase and MXenes, as well as affect the stoichiometry, purity, and properties of the materials.
In this work we have optimized the synthesis of MAX phases for MXene manufacturing. The main purpose was to develop a porous Ti3AlC2MAX phase that can be easily ground into individual grains manually without time-consuming eliminating the need for drilling and intenseball-milling before MXene synthesis. Moreover, we also demonstrate the synthesis of highly porous Ti3AlC2 (about 70%) from an inexpensive raw materials.
Read more about this work:
Our new collaborative research paper with Drexel team on Porous Ti3AlC2 MAX phase enables efficient synthesis of Ti3C2Tx MXene
The main purpose of this study is to develop a porous Ti3AlC2MAX phase that can be easily ground into individual grains manually without time-consuming eliminating the need for drilling and intenseball-milling before MXene synthesis. Moreover, we also demonstrate the synthesis of highly porous Ti3AlC2 (about 70%) from an inexpensive raw materials.
#MAX-phase #MXenes #Patent
The seminar, titled “MXenes for Space and High-Tech Applications: From Scalable Synthesis to Smart Structures, Sensors, and Advanced Bio-Composites,” brought together researchers interested in the development and application of advanced nanomaterials. The presentation covered recent progress in MXene technology, with a particular focus on scalable synthesis and the integration of MXenes into smart structures, sensors, advanced electronics, multifunctional composites, and space technologies.
The study, “Green-Synthesized MXenes Enable Low-Friction, Cytocompatible PVA-Chitosan Hydrogels,” explores the incorporation of HF-free, green-synthesized Ti₃C₂Tₓ MXenes into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-chitosan hydrogels. The research demonstrates that this combination can produce highly hydrated, mechanically enhanced, cytocompatible materials with significantly improved tribological properties.
Our collaborative work on porous Ti₃AlC₂ MAX phase for efficient Ti₃C₂Tₓ MXene synthesis has been ranked among the Top 10 most cited papers in the International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology (IJACT).
We highly recommend checking out new important paper: “Critical Assessment of Intrinsic Antibacterial Properties and Photothermal Therapy Potential of MXene Nanosheets.” Along with the key findings, we’re also excited to share the Supplementary Cover Art — it beautifully illustrates our vision of MXene-based targeted complexes that can eliminate bacteria via photothermal conversion under near-infrared irradiation.
Do MXene nanosheets possess intrinsic antibacterial activity? A systematic study of high-quality Ti-, V-, and Nb-based MXenes reveals negligible inherent antimicrobial effects while highlighting their strong potential for targeted photothermal antibacterial therapy.
Highlights
We are excited to share that our Carbon-Ukraine (Y-Carbon LLC) company participated in the I2DM Summit and Expo 2025 at Khalifa University in Abu-Dhabi! Huge thanks to Research & Innovation Center for Graphene and 2D Materials (RIC2D) for hosting such a high-level event.It was an incredible opportunity to meet brilliant researchers and innovators working on the next generation of 2D materials. The insights and energy from the summit will definitely drive new ideas in our own development.
Carbon-Ukraine team had the unique opportunity to visit XPANCEO - a Dubai-based deep tech startup company that is developing the first smart contact lenses with AR vision and health monitoring features, working on truly cutting-edge developments.
Our Carbon-Ukraine team (Y-Carbon LLC) are thrilled to start a new RIC2D project MX-Innovation in collaboration with Drexel University Yury Gogotsi and Khalifa University! Amazing lab tours to project collaborators from Khalifa University, great discussions, strong networking, and a wonderful platform for future collaboration.
MXenes potential applications include sensors, wound healing materials, and drug delivery systems. A recent study explored how different synthesis methods affect the safety and performance of MXenes. By comparing etching conditions and intercalation strategies, researchers discovered that fine-tuning the surface chemistry of MXenes plays a crucial role in improving biocompatibility. These results provide practical guidelines for developing safer MXenes and bring the field one step closer to real biomedical applications.
An excellent review highlighting how MXene-based sensors can help tackle one of today’s pressing environmental challenges — heavy metal contamination. Excited to see such impactful work moving the field of environmental monitoring and sensor technology forward!
Carbon-Ukraine team was truly delighted to take part in the kickoff meeting of the ATHENA Project (Advanced Digital Engineering Methods to Design MXene-based Nanocomposites for Electro-Magnetic Interference Shielding in Space), supported by NATO through the Science for Peace and Security Programme.