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Sodium-Ion-Assisted Minimally Intensive Layer Delamination of Ti-Based MXenes: Implications for Biomedical Applications
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Sodium-Ion-Assisted Minimally Intensive Layer Delamination of Ti-Based MXenes: Implications for Biomedical Applications

Nikola Kanas, Iryna Roslyk, Tetiana Parker, Lucy Plant, Veronika Zahorodna, Oleksiy Gogotsi, Goran M. Stojanović and Yury Gogotsi
ACS applied nano materials, v 9(17), pp 7655-7662
20 Apr 2026
Featured in Collection :   Drexel's Newest Publications
url
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.6c00466View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open CC BY-NC-ND V4.0

Abstract

MXenes Na+ intercalation 2D materials delamination colloidal stability
MXenes are among the most extensively studied materials nowadays due to their functional versatility stemming from their tunable chemical and physical properties. MXenes have been predominantly synthesized by selective wet-chemical etching of parent MAX phases, followed by Li+ intercalation and subsequent delamination. This study demonstrates the substitution of Li+ with Na+ in the preparation of Ti-based MXenes for biomedical and biocatalytic applications, where biologically active Li+ is undesirable. Here, a MILD (Minimally Intensive Layer Delamination) synthesis method of Ti3C2Tx and Ti3CNTx is modified by replacing LiF with nontoxic and cost-effective NaF. The produced samples had flake sizes and surface chemistries comparable to those of LiF-MILD samples. The electrical conductivity of Ti3C2Tx films made from those flakes exceeded 5500 S/cm. Multiple acid mixtures were investigated, with 12 M HCl producing stable MXene colloids after 48 h of etching without sonication, yielding flakes significantly larger than those obtained using 9 M HCl. The Ti3C2Tx flakes exhibited a conventional 2D morphology, while Ti3CNTx scrolled, forming cylindrical nanostructures. With the proper adjustments to the etching conditions, the proposed approach may apply to the synthesis of other Ti-based MXenes.

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