Annealing TiCT MXenes to Control Surface Chemistry and Friction.

Although surface terminations (such as ═O, -Cl, -F, and -OH) on MXene nanosheets strongly influence their functional properties, synthesis of MXenes with desired types and distribution of those terminations is still challenging. Here, it is demonstrated that thermal annealing helps in removing much of the terminal groups of molten salt-etched multilayered (ML) TiCT. In this study, the chloride terminations of molten salt-etched ML-TiCT were removed via thermal annealing at increased temperatures under an inert (argon) atmosphere.

Effect of terminal groups on the degradation stability of TiCT MXenes.

MXenes are 2D nanomaterials which have gained considerable attention from researchers since their discovery in 2011. However, the propensity of these 2D nanomaterials to degrade affects their shelf life. While many studies have focused on the external factors affecting the degradation of MXenes, the effect of internal factors such as terminal groups is not well understood.