Realizing ultra-stable TiC-MXene in aqueous solution surface grafting with ionomers.

MXenes are the first class of 2D materials with the combination of metallic conductivity and hydrophilicity. However, degradation forms a key drawback limiting their long-term applications. This work for the first time demonstrates a strategy for designing a hydrophilic yet ultra-stable MXene via surface grafting with ionomers.

3D assembly of TiC-MXene directed by water/oil interfaces.

MXene is an emerging class of 2D materials exfoliated from ternary carbide and nitride ceramics. The exfoliation process, which is an acid etching approach, functionalizes the MXene surface with -OH, -O and -F groups. These functional groups offer significant opportunities for tuning the colloidal properties of the MXene nanoblocks; importantly, this tunability points the way towards a facile route for assembling these nanoblocks into 3D architectures that are in demand for many applications.