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#Industry News

MXENE: BATTERIES MADE OF CLAY

Could This Clay Shape the Future of Energy Storage?

A research team at Drexel University has developed a highly conductive clay which is claimed would make an “exceptionally viable candidate” to replace material in supercapacitors and even batteries. The clay, called MXene (pronounced mex-een), exhibits some interesting properties; it is hydrophilic, very malleable (can be rolled and molded into complicated forms) and has a good capacitance, 900 F/cm3. Interestingly, it is also claimed that MXene lost no capacitance after more than 10,000 charge cycles.

MXene was first invented in 2011, it is a substance formed of two-dimensional titanium carbide derived from MAX phases. The researchers at Drexel have since discovered a way to make the material as a clay, using a method much quicker and safer than the original. Before, it used to take a day to produce a MXene electrode, now it can be achieved in just 15 minutes. As MXene is still at the experimental stage, it is impossible to tell what impact it will have on industry, but the researchers involved seem very excited about its future potential; we’ll just have to wait and see.

Turning MXene in to Highly Conductive Clay

Details

  • 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
  • Drexel University