Guest Seminar - Synthesis, Processing and Properties of 2D Carbides and Nitrides - MXenes - Prof. Yuri Gogotsi

Abstract
MXenes are the fastest-growing family of two-dimensional (2D) materials. Unlike most other 2D materials, they lack bulk analogues when restacked because of their unique structure and surface terminations. They represent a new class of 2D transition-metal carbides/nitrides, not merely exfoliated van der Waals solids. They have a general formula Mn+1XnTx, where M is a transition metal, X is carbon and/or nitrogen, T represents surface terminations (O, OH, halogen, chalcogen, etc.), and n = 2—5. About 50 stoichiometric MXene compositions and dozens of solid solutions on M and X sites have already been reported. Given the infinite number of possible solid-solution compositions and combinations of surface terminations, MXenes offer an opportunity for computationally driven atomistic design of inorganic 2D structures with unique properties. MXenes exhibit electronic, optical, mechanical, and electrochemical properties that clearly distinguish them from other materials. Moreover, these properties are tunable by design and can be modulated using an ionotronic approach, leading to breakthroughs in fields ranging from optoelectronics and communication to electrochemical energy storage, catalysis, sensing, and medicine. In this talk, I’ll discuss methods for MXene synthesis and processing, the effects of MXene chemistry on their properties, and provide examples of important applications where MXenes outperform other materials.

Bio
Yury Gogotsi is a Distinguished University Professor and Charles T. and Ruth M. Bach Endowed Chair in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Drexel University in Philadelphia, USA. He also serves as Director of the A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute. He earned his MS (1984) and PhD (1986) from Kyiv Polytechnic and a DSc from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in 1995. He made principal contributions to the synthesis of materials for electrochemical capacitors, the discovery of MXenes, and the tuning of porosity in carbide-derived carbons. He also developed new processes for the synthesis, surface modification, and purification of carbon nanotubes and nanodiamonds. The impact of his research is demonstrated by over 330,000 citations of his publications. He is recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher in Chemistry, Engineering, and Materials Science, and as a Citations Laureate in Physics by Clarivate (Web of Science). The 2025 Stanford List ranked Gogotsi 21^st among all scientists across all disciplines and 2^nd in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology worldwide.