The numerous potential applications of MXenes spark a diverse range of research across KAUST and farther afield.

Atomically thin MXenes boast a combination of electrical, optical and chemical properties that can be exploited for a large number of applications, says Husam Alshareef, a pioneer of MXene science and technology at KAUST. 

A class of two-dimensional inorganic compounds, “MXenes are similar to graphene, except that we are able to manipulate their composition and surface chemistry over a wide range,” Alshareef says. To date, more than 30 MXenes have been experimentally synthesized, but hundreds more MXenes actually exist.

Alshareef, together with colleagues from KAUST and beyond, is putting MXene properties to the test. MXenes produced in the Alshareef lab are being assessed in devices ranging from solar cells to implantable batteries. Alshareef’s collaborative MXene research now extends to projects with 16 different professors within KAUST alone.

The technical achievements powered by the lab’s diverse range of collaborations are many and range from nanoelectronics to batteries, catalysis and biosensors. These snapshots of MXene collaborative research illustrate just some of the uses being explored for these exciting two-dimensional materials.

Read more at KAUST Insight.