<atl>Scalable Manufacturing of Free‐Standing, Strong Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene Films with Outstanding Conductivity</atl>

Independent nanofilms show their strength

30 October 2020

Free-standing films made from nanomaterials called MXenes, which possess exceptional strength and electrical conductivity, could be used in a range of flexible electronic devices.

Single flakes of two-dimensional MXene nanomaterials, made mainly from titanium and carbon, show outstanding strength and electrical conductivity. However, when the flakes are combined to make MXene films of a useful size, poor alignment between the flakes results in the films having a much lower strength and conductivity.

Now, a team led by Deakin University researchers has developed a scalable method to make flexible MXene films several metres long, which possess record-breaking strength and conductivity.

The researchers produced large MXene flakes. This ensured that, when a liquid suspension of the flakes was applied to a surface with a blade, the dragging motion of the blade helped the flakes to neatly align.

The resulting free-standing film is promising for electromagnetic shielding or as current collectors in batteries for flexible electronics.

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References

1. Advanced Materials 32, 2001093 (2020). doi: 10.1002/adma.202001093