idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
An international team of researchers from TU Dresden, Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics Halle, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and partner institutions across Europe has developed a breakthrough method for producing MXenes – an important family of two-dimensional materials – with unprecedented purity and control. The new “gas-liquid-solid” process enables the synthesis of pure MXenes with uniformly distributed halogen atoms on the surface and a precisely tunable surface composition. Their method dramatically boosts their electrical conductivity and opens the door to high-performance electronics, sensors, and energy technologies (DOI: 10.1038/s44160-025-00970-w).
First discovered in 2011, MXenes are a rapidly growing class of inorganic two-dimensional materials. Each structural unit is composed of layers of transition metals combined with carbon or nitrogen and is terminated by atoms attached to the outermost surfaces. These surface terminations play a crucial role in determining the material’s properties. “They strongly influence how electrons move through the material, how stable it is, and how it interacts with light, heat, and chemical environments,” explains Dr. Mahdi Ghorbani-Asl from the Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research at HZDR.
Traditionally, most MXenes have been produced using chemical etching methods that result in mixed and randomly distributed surface terminations, such as oxygen, fluorine, or chlorine. “This atomic disorder limits performance because it traps and scatters electrons, much like potholes slowing traffic on a highway,” describes Dr. Dongqi Li from TU Dresden.
The new GLS method avoids harsh chemicals by using solid starting materials known as MAX phases, along with molten salts and iodine vapor, to produce MXene sheets. Crucially, the molten salts and iodine work together to control which halogen atoms, like chlorine, bromine, or iodine, attach to the surface. The results are MXenes with highly uniform and well-ordered surface terminations and a strongly reduced level of impurities.
Using this approach, the team successfully synthesized MXenes from eight different MAX phases, showing that the method is broadly applicable. In addition, the researchers used density functional theory (DFT) calculations to gain deeper insight into how surface terminations influence the stability and electronic properties of MXenes. “By combining theory with our experimental ability to precisely control surface terminations, we open a new path toward MXenes with improved stability and tailored functional properties,” concludes Ghorbani-Asl.
Outstanding conductivity from perfectly ordered surfaces
To illustrate the impact of this breakthrough, the researchers focused on one of the most widely studied representatives of this compound class: the titanium carbide MXene Ti₃C₂. When made using conventional chemical routes, Ti₃C₂ typically contains a mix of chlorine and oxygen terminations, which disrupts its electrical properties. In contrast, Ti₃C₂Cl₂ produced through the GLS method contains chlorine only, arranged in a highly ordered structure with no detectable impurities.
“The results were striking. The chlorine-terminated MXene variant showed a 160-fold increase in macroscopic conductivity and a 13-fold enhancement in terahertz conductivity compared with the same material made by traditional methods. In addition, a nearly fourfold increase in charge carrier mobility was observed, a key measure of how freely electrons move through a material,” Li summarizes.
These performance gains arise directly from the cleaner surface chemistry. With all chlorine atoms neatly arranged on the MXene surface, electrons encounter fewer obstacles and can flow more smoothly. Quantum transport simulations confirmed that the uniform surfaces reduced electron trapping and scattering, providing a clear microscopic explanation for the measured improvements.
Tailoring 2D materials for tomorrow’s technologies
Beyond electrical transport, the study shows that tuning the type of surface halogen also changes how MXenes absorb electromagnetic waves. This means the materials can be engineered for specific applications such as radar-absorbing coatings, electromagnetic shielding, and next-generation wireless components. For example, chlorine-terminated MXenes show strong absorption in the 14-18 GHz frequency range, while bromine- and iodine-terminated MXenes absorb in different frequency windows.
The method also provides a powerful platform for designing MXenes with tailored surface properties. By mixing different halide salts, the researchers produced MXenes with dual or even triple halogen terminations and precisely controlled ratios. This ability to “dial in” the surface composition offers a new toolkit for customizing MXenes for applications in electronics, catalysis, energy storage, photonics, and beyond.
Overall, the study represents a significant advance in MXene chemistry. For the first time, it demonstrates a gentle and broadly applicable synthesis route that yields highly ordered MXenes with precisely controlled surface terminations. According to the authors, the GLS method could accelerate the development of next-generation materials for flexible electronics, high-speed communication technologies, and advanced optoelectronic devices.
Dr. Mahdi Ghorbani-Asl | Dr. Arkady Krasheninnikov
Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research at HZDR
Phone: +49 351 260 3613 | +49 351 260 3148
Email: mahdi.ghorbani@hzdr.de | a.krasheninnikov@hzdr.de
Dr. Minghao Yu
Chair of Molecular Functional Materials
Dresden University of Technology
Phone: +49 351 463 40410 | Email: minghao.yu@tu-dresden.de
Prof. Xinliang Feng
Dresden University of Technology | Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics Halle
Phone: +49 351 463 43251 | Email: office-feng@mailbox.tu-dresden.de
D. Li, W. Zheng, M. Ghorbani-Asl, J. Scheiter, K. Sobczak, S. Kretschmer, J. Polčák, P. H. Jadhao, P. P. Michałowski, R. Yu, J. Zhang, J. Liu, J. Du, Q. Guo, E. Zschech, T. Šikola, M. Bonn, N. Pérez, K. Nielsch, A. V. Krasheninnikov, H. I. Wang, M. Yu, and X. Feng, Triphasic synthesis of MXenes with uniform and controlled halogen terminations, in Nature Synthesis, 2026. (DOI: 10.1038/s44160-025-00970-w)
The image combines a model derived from a scanning electron microscopy image (left) with a snippet o ...
Source: B. Schröder/HZDR
Criteria of this press release:
Journalists
Materials sciences, Physics / astronomy
transregional, national
Cooperation agreements, Research results
English
The image combines a model derived from a scanning electron microscopy image (left) with a snippet o ...
Source: B. Schröder/HZDR
You can combine search terms with and, or and/or not, e.g. Philo not logy.
You can use brackets to separate combinations from each other, e.g. (Philo not logy) or (Psycho and logy).
Coherent groups of words will be located as complete phrases if you put them into quotation marks, e.g. “Federal Republic of Germany”.
You can also use the advanced search without entering search terms. It will then follow the criteria you have selected (e.g. country or subject area).
If you have not selected any criteria in a given category, the entire category will be searched (e.g. all subject areas or all countries).
