Ti3C2 MXene synthesis and the effect of synthesis conditions on MXene properties

Ti3C2TX MXene, a member of the recently discovered 2D nanomaterial family with many features such as superior electrical conductivity, large surface area, changeable surface groups according to the intended use, hydrophilic behavior and antibacterial effects, is used in many engineering fields. Due to these superior properties, it has been considered to be usable in many processes in the field of Environmental Engineering and has been the subject of many studies. From this point on, it is important to determine the effect of MXene production conditions and synthesis procedures on the chemical and physical structure of MXene. In this study, it was aimed to synthesize Ti3C2TX MXene from the Ti3AlC2 MAX phase by directly etching it with HF and LiF + HCl. The effects of temperature, etching time and concentration of the etching solution, and the effect of synthesis conditions on the surface groups, morphological structure and chemical structure of MXene were determined. In the study, the removal of Al atoms, which is an early transition metal, from the MAX phase increased by increasing the temperature, the removal of Al atoms in the MAX phase of MXene synthesized directly with HF at 40 oC for 24 hours at 30% concentration was approximately 99%, and the particle sizes of MXene were approximately three-thirds of those of the MAX phase. It was found that it decreased to one. It has been determined that MXene synthesis via LiF+ HCl occurs at higher temperatures compared to direct HF. It has been observed that MXenes synthesized under high temperature conditions have higher thermal resistance. It was determined that as the concentration of the etching solution increased, the depth of the accordion structures formed in the MXene structure increased. According to the results of the contact angle analysis of the surface groups of the MXene structure formed after the etching of the MAX phase, it was concluded that a more hydrophilic material was formed compared to the MAX phase.