Delamination of uniformly terminated MXene produced using the molten salt etching

MXenes produced by molten salt of MAX phases have attracted attention of the community due to their controllable surface chemistry. However, their delamination is challenging due to the hydrophobicity of multilayer MXene and strong interactions betweel halogen-terminated MX sheets. The current delamination method involves dangerous chemicals such as N-Butyllithium or NaH, making scale-up difficult and limiting practical application. In this work, we present a low-cost, sustainable, and eco-friendly methodology for the delamination of molten salt synthesized MXenes while maintaining their surface chemistry. We demonstrate successful delamination. MXene films produced from the delaminated MXene had a conductivity of 8,000 S/cm and it didn’t change after exposure to 95% humidity conditions for a week. This validation of successful delamination, preservation of inherent surface properties, and stability under high-humidity conditions broadens the range of potential applications of MXenes. This research marks a significant leap towards the sustainable and economical production of two-dimensional materials.