# MXene (Ti₃C₂Tₓ): structure, synthesis and properties

> MXene Ti₃C₂Tₓ explained: 2D titanium carbide etched from the MAX phase Ti₃AlC₂, its surface terminations, synthesis, conductivity and uses. Editable figures.

URL: https://www.labcanvas.com/2d-materials/mxene

MXenes are two-dimensional transition metal carbides and nitrides made by etching the A-element layers out of layered MAX phases; the first was titanium carbide, Ti₃C₂Tₓ, in which Tₓ stands for the –O, –OH and –F groups that cover both faces of each Ti–C–Ti–C–Ti layer. Naguib, Barsoum, Gogotsi and co-workers made it in 2011 (Advanced Materials) by etching the aluminium out of Ti₃AlC₂ with hydrofluoric acid at room temperature, and in 2012 named the family “MXenes” to denote the loss of the A element and their structural similarity to graphene. Ti₃C₂Tₓ is a metallic conductor with a hydrophilic surface, so it can be processed in water into conductive films.

Last updated 26 October 2026

2D Ti₃C₂Tₓ Ti3C2Tx Interactive 3D Editable figures

## MXene (Ti₃C₂Tₓ) at a glance

| Formula | Ti₃C₂Tₓ, with Tₓ = –O, –OH and –F surface terminations (Naguib et al. 2011; Alhabeb et al. 2017) |
| --- | --- |
| Formula mass | 167.62 g mol⁻¹ for the Ti₃C₂ layer without terminations (calculated); the full value depends on Tₓ |
| Family | MXenes: 2D carbides, nitrides and carbonitrides such as Ti₂C, Ti₃C₂ and Ta₄C₃, named in 2012 (Naguib et al. 2012) |
| Parent MAX phase | Ti₃AlC₂ (194.61 g mol⁻¹, calculated): Ti₃C₂ layers held together by aluminium (Naguib et al. 2011); the MAX phases are a family of more than 60 layered ternary carbides and nitrides (Naguib et al. 2012) |
| Layer structure | Five atomic planes, Ti–C–Ti–C–Ti, with terminations on both faces |
| Synthesis | Selective etching of Al from Ti₃AlC₂: HF at room temperature, 2 h (Naguib et al. 2011), or LiF + HCl, which avoids handling concentrated HF (Ghidiu et al. 2014) |
| Delamination | Intercalation of Li⁺, TMA⁺ or DMSO, then sonication or hand shaking, into single flakes in water (Alhabeb et al. 2017) |
| Electrical conductivity | 4,600 S cm⁻¹ for Ti₃C₂Tₓ films (Shahzad et al. 2016) |
| Surface | Hydrophilic (Naguib et al. 2012; Ghidiu et al. 2014) |
| Volumetric capacitance | Up to 900 F cm⁻³ for additive-free Ti₃C₂Tₓ “clay” films (Ghidiu et al. 2014) |
| EMI shielding | 92 dB for a 45 µm Ti₃C₂Tₓ film; more than 50 dB at 2.5 µm (Shahzad et al. 2016) |
| Stability | Aqueous Ti₃C₂Tₓ colloids oxidize to titanium dioxide under ambient conditions; stored at −80 °C they stay chemically stable for more than 39 weeks (Chae et al. 2019) |
| First reported | Naguib, Kurtoglu, Presser, Lu, Niu, Heon, Hultman, Gogotsi and Barsoum, Adv. Mater. 23, 4248 (2011) |

## MXene (Ti₃C₂Tₓ) structure diagram

![MXene synthesis figure: the MAX phase Ti₃AlC₂ etched with HF or LiF + HCl into an accordion-like multilayer Ti₃C₂Tₓ stack, washing to near-neutral pH, one layer with –O, –OH and –F terminations, Li⁺ intercalation, delaminated single flakes, and a dark colloid with a volumetric capacitance of up to 900 F cm⁻³](https://www.labcanvas.com/templates/web/mxene-selective-etching.webp)

MXene from a MAX phase: etch the Al out of Ti₃AlC₂, wash, intercalate and delaminate into single Ti₃C₂Tₓ flakes. Redrawn after Naguib et al. 2011, Ghidiu et al. 2014 and Alhabeb et al. 2017. An editable LabCanvas template.

[Edit this figure in LabCanvas](https://www.labcanvas.com/editor.html?template=mxene-selective-etching)[See the template](https://www.labcanvas.com/templates/nanomaterial-synthesis/mxene-ti3c2-selective-etching)

## MXene (Ti₃C₂Tₓ) structure drawing (high-resolution SVG)

![MXene (Ti₃C₂Tₓ) structure drawn as a LabCanvas Library object](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/mxene/mxene-drawing.webp)

One MXene sheet seen side on, drawn as a LabCanvas Library object (M₃X₂Tₓ, as in Ti₃C₂Tₓ): three planes of metal atoms with two carbon planes between them and termination groups on both faces. A high-resolution SVG; open it in the figure editor to recolour or resize it.

[Edit the drawing in LabCanvas](https://www.labcanvas.com/editor.html?add=mxene)[Download SVG](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/mxene/mxene-drawing.svg)[Download PNG (3000 px)](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/mxene/mxene-drawing.png)

## MXene (Ti₃C₂Tₓ) in 3D (interactive)

![MXene (Ti₃C₂Tₓ) 3D model](https://www.labcanvas.com/gallery3d/mxenepoly3d.webp)

Loading the 3D model…

Ti₃C₂Tₓ in 3D: five atomic planes, Ti–C–Ti–C–Ti, with each titanium drawn inside a translucent octahedron and a plane of termination atoms (drawn as oxygen) on both faces. Drag to turn it; in the LabCanvas 3D Studio you can switch to Ti₂C or Ti₄C₃, remove the terminations or stack more layers. Drag to turn it.

[Open in the 3D Studio](https://www.labcanvas.com/studio3d.html?add=mxenepoly3d)

## MXene structure explained

An MXene starts as a **MAX phase**, a layered ceramic in which a transition metal (M), an A-group element (A, here aluminium) and carbon or nitrogen (X) form a stack of M–X layers held together by layers of A. Removing the A layers leaves the M–X layers as separate two-dimensional sheets: the MXene, named to denote the loss of the A element and its structural similarity to graphene (Naguib et al. 2012).

In **Ti₃C₂Tₓ**, made from Ti₃AlC₂, each layer has five atomic planes, Ti–C–Ti–C–Ti. The outer titanium planes are not bare: during etching they pick up –O, –OH and –F groups, written **Tₓ** because their mix depends on how the MXene was made (Naguib et al. 2011; Alhabeb et al. 2017). The same chemistry gives thinner and thicker members such as Ti₂C and Ta₄C₃ (Naguib et al. 2012).

After etching, the layers stay loosely stacked like an accordion. Ions or molecules slipped between them push them apart, and the stack can then be separated into single flakes (Alhabeb et al. 2017).

## How MXenes are made

- **Start from the MAX phase.** Ti₃AlC₂ powder, in which Ti₃C₂ layers are held together by Al (Naguib et al. 2011).
- **Etch the aluminium.** In the first report the powder was treated with hydrofluoric acid at room temperature for 2 h (Naguib et al. 2011). A solution of lithium fluoride and hydrochloric acid does the same job and avoids handling concentrated HF (Ghidiu et al. 2014). The product is multilayer Ti₃C₂Tₓ with an accordion-like structure.
- **Wash.** Repeated washing and centrifugation until the pH is close to neutral (Alhabeb et al. 2017).
- **Intercalate and delaminate.** Li⁺ from LiF, or TMA⁺ or DMSO, enters between the layers; sonication or simple hand shaking then separates single flakes, which form a stable dark colloid in water (Alhabeb et al. 2017).
- **Process.** The hydrated material can be shaped like clay and dried into a conductive solid, or rolled into films tens of micrometres thick (Ghidiu et al. 2014).

Concentrated HF is extremely hazardous; the LiF + HCl route avoids handling it (Ghidiu et al. 2014).

## Key properties of Ti₃C₂Tₓ

- **Metallic conductivity.** MXenes combine metallic conductivity with hydrophilic surfaces; Ti₃C₂Tₓ films conduct 4,600 S cm⁻¹ (Shahzad et al. 2016).
- **Hydrophilic surface.** Water wets pressed MXene surfaces (Naguib et al. 2012), so the flakes disperse and are processed in water.
- **High volumetric capacitance.** Additive-free Ti₃C₂Tₓ clay films reach up to 900 F cm⁻³, with excellent cyclability and rate performance (Ghidiu et al. 2014).
- **EMI shielding.** A 45 µm Ti₃C₂Tₓ film blocks electromagnetic interference by 92 dB, and a 2.5 µm film by more than 50 dB (Shahzad et al. 2016).
- **Tunable surface.** The –O, –OH and –F terminations depend on the etchant and processing (Alhabeb et al. 2017).
- **Limited stability.** Colloidal Ti₃C₂Tₓ flakes deteriorate rapidly under ambient conditions as the carbide turns into titanium dioxide; cold storage (−80 °C) or dispersion in ethanol slows this greatly (Chae et al. 2019).

## Why MXenes matter

Graphene, h-BN and MoS₂ are peeled from crystals whose layers are already separate sheets. MXenes showed that 2D sheets can also be **etched out** of a ceramic whose layers are held together by an A element, and since the MAX phases number more than 60 (Naguib et al. 2012), this opened a route to a large family of 2D carbides and nitrides.

They also fill a gap in the 2D family: graphene is a semimetal, h-BN an insulator and MoS₂ a semiconductor, while Ti₃C₂Tₓ is a metallic conductor that, unlike graphene, is hydrophilic and can be processed from water into films, clays and coatings (Shahzad et al. 2016; Ghidiu et al. 2014).

## Uses and research areas

- **Supercapacitors.** Ti₃C₂Tₓ clay electrodes with up to 900 F cm⁻³ (Ghidiu et al. 2014).
- **Electromagnetic interference shielding.** Thin, flexible films and polymer composites that shield surfaces of any shape (Shahzad et al. 2016).
- **Conductive films, inks and coatings.** Processed from aqueous colloids of delaminated flakes (Alhabeb et al. 2017).
- **Gas sensors.** A Ti₃C₂Tₓ gas sensor kept its electrical properties after 5 weeks of storage when oxidation was inhibited (Chae et al. 2019).
- **New compositions.** Other MAX phases give other MXenes, such as Ti₂C and Ta₄C₃ (Naguib et al. 2012).

## How to draw the MXene structure

For a paper, slide or poster, show the route as well as the result: the MAX phase with its Al layers, the accordion-like multilayer after etching, and one Ti₃C₂Tₓ layer with its terminations. The figure above shows all of these and opens as an editable LabCanvas figure. The structure drawing is a high-resolution SVG of one MXene sheet seen side on that opens in the LabCanvas figure editor, whose Library also has an “MXene (side view)” object with two stacked layers and intercalated ions. The 3D model opens in the LabCanvas 3D Studio, where you can change the number of metal layers, show or hide the terminations and polyhedra, and export a high-resolution image.

## MXene compared with other 2D materials

| Material | Composition | One layer | Electronic character | Usually made by | Key report |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Graphene | C | Flat honeycomb of carbon | Semimetal, no band gap | Tape exfoliation of graphite; CVD | Novoselov et al., Science 2004 |
| Graphene oxide | C, O, H | Graphene sheet carrying oxygen groups | Insulating; reduction (rGO) restores much of the conductivity | Oxidizing graphite (Hummers method) | Hummers & Offeman, JACS 1958 |
| h-BN | BN | Flat honeycomb of alternating B and N | Insulator, indirect gap 5.955 eV | Exfoliating high-pressure crystals; CVD | Dean et al., Nat. Nanotechnol. 2010 |
| MoS₂ (2H) | MoS₂ | S–Mo–S sandwich, Mo in trigonal prisms | Semiconductor; direct 1.8 eV gap as one layer | Exfoliation; CVD | Mak et al., PRL 2010 |
| MXene (Ti₃C₂Tₓ) | Ti₃C₂ with –O, –OH, –F | Ti–C–Ti–C–Ti, both faces terminated | Metallic; films 4,600 S cm⁻¹ | Etching Al out of Ti₃AlC₂ | Naguib et al., Adv. Mater. 2011 |

## Related materials

[![Graphene: One layer of sp² carbon in a honeycomb (C)](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/graphene/graphene-cover.webp) 2D material C Graphene Graphene structure explained: the one-atom-thick honeycomb of sp² carbon, its Dirac bands, strength and conductivity, how it is made and used. Cited facts.](https://www.labcanvas.com/2d-materials/graphene)

[![Graphene oxide: Graphene sheets carrying oxygen groups (C · O · H)](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/graphene-oxide/graphene-oxide-cover.webp) 2D material C · O · H Graphene oxide Graphene oxide structure explained: graphene with epoxide, hydroxyl and carboxyl groups, made by the Hummers method and reduced to rGO. Cited facts, figures.](https://www.labcanvas.com/2d-materials/graphene-oxide)

[![MoS₂: Molybdenum between two sulfur layers (MoS₂)](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/mos2/mos2-cover.webp) 2D material MoS₂ MoS₂ (molybdenum disulfide) MoS₂ structure and band gap: the S–Mo–S layer, 2H and 1T phases, the 1.8 eV direct gap of monolayer MoS₂, transistors and HER catalysis. Editable figures.](https://www.labcanvas.com/2d-materials/mos2)

[![h-BN: Boron and nitrogen in a honeycomb: white graphene (BN)](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/h-bn/h-bn-cover.webp) 2D material BN Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), “white graphene”: its B–N honeycomb structure, ~6 eV band gap, how it is made and why 2D devices sit on it. Editable figures.](https://www.labcanvas.com/2d-materials/h-bn)

## More on LabCanvas

- [MXene (Ti₃C₂Tₓ) by selective etching of Ti₃AlC₂](https://www.labcanvas.com/templates/nanomaterial-synthesis/mxene-ti3c2-selective-etching): Editable figure template
- [More figure templates in this category](https://www.labcanvas.com/templates/nanomaterial-synthesis): Ready-made, cited figures to edit
- [Crystal structure figure software compared](https://www.labcanvas.com/blog/crystal-structure-visualization-software): VESTA, Mercury, CrystalMaker, Avogadro and LabCanvas
- [XRD Scherrer crystallite size calculator](https://www.labcanvas.com/tools/xrd-scherrer-calculator): Free tool
- [Molar mass calculator](https://www.labcanvas.com/tools/molar-mass-calculator): Free tool
- [Journal figure size guide](https://www.labcanvas.com/blog/journal-figure-size-guide): Column widths and resolutions for 38 journals
- [3D models gallery](https://www.labcanvas.com/gallery): Turn MOFs, COFs and more in 3D

## Frequently asked questions

### What is an MXene?

A two-dimensional transition metal carbide, nitride or carbonitride made by etching the A-element layers (usually aluminium) out of a layered MAX phase. The first was titanium carbide, Ti₃C₂Tₓ, made by Naguib et al. in 2011.

### What does the name MXene mean?

The M and X come from the MAX phase it is made from (M, a transition metal; X, carbon or nitrogen). The name denotes the loss of the A element and, with the “-ene” ending, the structural similarity to graphene (Naguib et al., ACS Nano 2012).

### What is Ti₃C₂Tₓ?

The first MXene: layers of titanium carbide five atomic planes thick (Ti–C–Ti–C–Ti) whose faces carry –O, –OH and –F groups, written Tₓ. It is made by etching the aluminium out of the MAX phase Ti₃AlC₂.

### How are MXenes made?

By selective etching: the MAX phase (for Ti₃C₂Tₓ, Ti₃AlC₂) is treated with hydrofluoric acid at room temperature (Naguib et al. 2011) or with lithium fluoride and hydrochloric acid (Ghidiu et al. 2014), which dissolves the Al layers. The multilayer product is washed, intercalated with Li⁺, TMA⁺ or DMSO and delaminated by sonication or hand shaking into single flakes (Alhabeb et al. 2017).

### What does Tₓ stand for in Ti₃C₂Tₓ?

The surface terminations: –O, –OH and –F groups bound to the outer titanium atoms during etching. The x shows that their amount and mix are not fixed; they depend on the etchant and processing.

### What is the difference between a MAX phase and an MXene?

A MAX phase such as Ti₃AlC₂ is a bulk layered ceramic in which Ti₃C₂ layers are bonded together by aluminium. An MXene is what is left when the aluminium is etched away: separate Ti₃C₂ layers with terminated surfaces.

### Are MXenes conductive?

Yes. MXenes combine metallic conductivity with hydrophilic surfaces; Ti₃C₂Tₓ films reach 4,600 S/cm (Shahzad et al., Science 2016).

### What are MXenes used for?

Mainly energy storage and electromagnetic shielding so far: Ti₃C₂Tₓ clay films store up to 900 F/cm³ as supercapacitor electrodes (Ghidiu et al. 2014), and a 45 µm film shields 92 dB of electromagnetic interference (Shahzad et al. 2016).

### Are MXenes stable in water and air?

Not indefinitely. Colloidal Ti₃C₂Tₓ flakes in water oxidize to titanium dioxide under ambient conditions; stored at −80 °C they stay chemically stable for more than 39 weeks, and dispersing them in ethanol delays degradation even at 5 °C (Chae et al., Nanoscale 2019).

## References

- M. Naguib, M. Kurtoglu, V. Presser, J. Lu, J. Niu, M. Heon, L. Hultman, Y. Gogotsi, M. W. Barsoum. Two-dimensional nanocrystals produced by exfoliation of Ti₃AlC₂. *Adv. Mater.* 2011, 23, 4248–4253. [doi:10.1002/adma.201102306](https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201102306)
- M. Naguib et al.. Two-dimensional transition metal carbides. *ACS Nano* 2012, 6, 1322–1331. [doi:10.1021/nn204153h](https://doi.org/10.1021/nn204153h)
- M. Ghidiu, M. R. Lukatskaya, M.-Q. Zhao, Y. Gogotsi, M. W. Barsoum. Conductive two-dimensional titanium carbide ‘clay’ with high volumetric capacitance. *Nature* 2014, 516, 78–81. [doi:10.1038/nature13970](https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13970)
- M. Alhabeb et al.. Guidelines for synthesis and processing of two-dimensional titanium carbide (Ti₃C₂Tₓ MXene). *Chem. Mater.* 2017, 29, 7633–7644. [doi:10.1021/acs.chemmater.7b02847](https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.7b02847)
- F. Shahzad et al.. Electromagnetic interference shielding with 2D transition metal carbides (MXenes). *Science* 2016, 353, 1137–1140. [doi:10.1126/science.aag2421](https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aag2421)
- Y. Chae et al.. An investigation into the factors governing the oxidation of two-dimensional Ti₃C₂ MXene. *Nanoscale* 2019, 11, 8387–8393. [doi:10.1039/c9nr00084d](https://doi.org/10.1039/c9nr00084d)
- K. S. Novoselov et al.. Electric field effect in atomically thin carbon films. *Science* 2004, 306, 666–669. [doi:10.1126/science.1102896](https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1102896)
- W. S. Hummers, R. E. Offeman. Preparation of graphitic oxide. *J. Am. Chem. Soc.* 1958, 80, 1339. [doi:10.1021/ja01539a017](https://doi.org/10.1021/ja01539a017)
- C. R. Dean et al.. Boron nitride substrates for high-quality graphene electronics. *Nat. Nanotechnol.* 2010, 5, 722–726. [doi:10.1038/nnano.2010.172](https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2010.172)
- G. Cassabois, P. Valvin, B. Gil. Hexagonal boron nitride is an indirect bandgap semiconductor. *Nat. Photonics* 2016, 10, 262–266. [doi:10.1038/nphoton.2015.277](https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2015.277)
- K. F. Mak, C. Lee, J. Hone, J. Shan, T. F. Heinz. Atomically thin MoS₂: a new direct-gap semiconductor. *Phys. Rev. Lett.* 2010, 105, 136805. [doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.136805](https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.136805)

## Draw MXene (Ti₃C₂Tₓ) for your paper or slides

LabCanvas is a browser workspace for scientific figures: framework clusters, linkers and nets, crystal structures in 2D and 3D, graphs and posters, all editable.

[Edit the MXene (Ti₃C₂Tₓ) figure](https://www.labcanvas.com/editor.html?template=mxene-selective-etching)