Empa-Akademie, Dübendorf, Switzerland |
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Switzerland) |
MXetronics and MXenes in printed electronics
Abstract :
Printed electronics has huge potential to offer features not attainable by traditional fabrication techniques. Advances depend largely on the development of new functional inks. With the discovery of graphene it has been widely accepted that 2D materials open up unforeseen opportunities, not only in the field of printed electronics, but in micro- and nanoelectronics in general. That is specifically true for the 2D transition metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes), an emerging class of 2D materials that despite its only recent discovery is investigated for applications in batteries, supercapacitors, electrocatalysts, sensors, the biomedical field, electromagnetic interference shielding, membranes, and flexible and wearable devices. Its excellent metallic conductivity combined with its hydrophilic nature distinguishes MXene from other materials, additionally its properties can be easily modified by compositional engineering and surface functionalization. [1] It is thus not surprising that the term MXetronics was established. [2]
Furthermore, MXenes are outstanding candidates for printing inks as they can be readily exfoliated and dispersed in water and polar aprotic solvents. Even though frequently used interchangeable, a stable MXene dispersion is not necessarily a good ink for printing, and further processing depending on printing technique and application may become necessary. On the other hand and specific to 2D materials, the very strong interparticle interactions between MXene flakes allow control of dispersion rheology via concentration, degree of delamination and particle size alone, making the use of binders obsolete.
Here I will briefly introduce the materials class of MXenes. To demonstrate the versatility of the materials for printed electronics, two specific use cases researched at Empa will be discussed in more detail: slot die coating of single layer MXene inks into transparent conductive electrodes (TCEs) [3] and screen printing inks composed of single layer and multilayered MXenes for supercapacitor electrodes. [4]
[1] Y. Gogotsi, A decade of discovery: A review of MXenes, the family of 2D transition metal carbides and nitrides, American Ceramic Society Bulletin, 2021, 100, 3-5.
[2] H. Kim et al., Electronic and photonic applications of MXenes, Nano Energy, 2019, 60, 179-197.
[3] T.Z. Guo et al., Large-Area Smooth Conductive Films Enabled by Scalable Slot-Die Coating of Ti3C2Tx MXene Aqueous Inks, Advanced Functional Materials, 2023, 33, 2213183.
[4] S. Abdolhosseinzadeh et al. Turning Trash into Treasure: Additive Free MXene Sediment Inks for Screen-Printed Micro-Supercapacitors, Advanced Materials, 2020, 32, 2000716.
Furthermore, MXenes are outstanding candidates for printing inks as they can be readily exfoliated and dispersed in water and polar aprotic solvents. Even though frequently used interchangeable, a stable MXene dispersion is not necessarily a good ink for printing, and further processing depending on printing technique and application may become necessary. On the other hand and specific to 2D materials, the very strong interparticle interactions between MXene flakes allow control of dispersion rheology via concentration, degree of delamination and particle size alone, making the use of binders obsolete.
Here I will briefly introduce the materials class of MXenes. To demonstrate the versatility of the materials for printed electronics, two specific use cases researched at Empa will be discussed in more detail: slot die coating of single layer MXene inks into transparent conductive electrodes (TCEs) [3] and screen printing inks composed of single layer and multilayered MXenes for supercapacitor electrodes. [4]
[1] Y. Gogotsi, A decade of discovery: A review of MXenes, the family of 2D transition metal carbides and nitrides, American Ceramic Society Bulletin, 2021, 100, 3-5.
[2] H. Kim et al., Electronic and photonic applications of MXenes, Nano Energy, 2019, 60, 179-197.
[3] T.Z. Guo et al., Large-Area Smooth Conductive Films Enabled by Scalable Slot-Die Coating of Ti3C2Tx MXene Aqueous Inks, Advanced Functional Materials, 2023, 33, 2213183.
[4] S. Abdolhosseinzadeh et al. Turning Trash into Treasure: Additive Free MXene Sediment Inks for Screen-Printed Micro-Supercapacitors, Advanced Materials, 2020, 32, 2000716.
Bio :
Jakob Heier received a diploma in physics from the University of Konstanz (Germany) in 1994 and a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University (US) in 1999. Since 2006 he is working at Empa in the laboratory of Functional Polymers, since 2017 he is group leader of "Functional Thin Film Solution Processing".
Jakob Heier’s current research focusses on two aspects of functional coatings: (1) investigations into 2D materials as functional ink for advanced electronic and photonic devices, (2) development of printing techniques to meet the needs of printed electronics.
Jakob Heier’s current research focusses on two aspects of functional coatings: (1) investigations into 2D materials as functional ink for advanced electronic and photonic devices, (2) development of printing techniques to meet the needs of printed electronics.