New wonder materials - exciting technological horizon

A significant advancement in materials science has been made with the 2D MXene nanomaterials that were etched from their parent 3D MAX phases. Layered ternary carbide, nitride, and boride compounds with the general formula Mn+1AXn (n=1,2, 3,4 ...) make up the 3D MAX phase materials, where A is an element of Group IIA or IIIA, M is an early transition metal, and X is either C, N, or B. MXene's chemical formula is Mn+1Xn, whereas that of the precursor is Mn+1AXn. The MAX materials have a distinct set of properties that are similar to those of metal and ceramic. They are helpful in the development of high-efficiency engines, thermal systems that can withstand damage, fatigue resistance enhancement, and high-temperature rigidity retention technologies. The 2D MXenes are potentially described as a „wonder material‟ in the class of nanomaterials. Because of their intriguing mechanical properties resulting from their atomically thin dimensions, as well as their unusual electrical and optical properties, these have become the focus of materials research in recent years. These nanomaterials are multilayer electrically conductive materials that are comparable to multilayer graphene. They have been discovered to be beneficial for a variety of applications, such as energy storage materials, composite reinforcement, chemical, environmental, and biological sensors, and electronic devices. The recent advancements in the use of nanomaterials in optoelectronics, field-effect transistors, transparent conductive electrodes and shielding against electromagnetic interference, energy storage, and other fields have been extensively documented. The potential of nanomaterials as a novel ceramic photothermal agent employed in cancer therapy has been revealed by a very recent study on Ti3C2 MXene. The same 2D nanomaterial can be used in water desalination and purification membranes since it has antibacterial qualities and is resistant to bio fouling. The MXene-based piezoresistive sensor is also capable of detecting weak pressures and the slight bending-release actions of humans. It can be applied to recover lost frictional energy from, say, walking or typing-related muscular contractions. Since MAX phases are precursors to MXenes, the former are valuable due to the growing interest in the latter. This review provides an overview of the literature, including the author's own work, from the groundbreaking MXene publication to the present. It provides information on the characteristics, synthesis, crystal structure, and current and future uses of the new wonder materials as well as the MAX phases. J. Bangladesh Acad. Sci. 48(1); 1-25: June 2024