MXene

M3X8E1N1E1

noun

Any of a class of inorganic compounds with the general formula Mₙ₊₁Xₙ (where M is an early transition metal and X is carbon or nitrogen), characterized by a layered structure.

First used 2011Scrabble 14

Meanings

nounMXene (plural MXenes)

plural MXenes

  1. materials scienceAny of a class of inorganic compounds with the general formula Mₙ₊₁Xₙ (where M is an early transition metal and X is carbon or nitrogen), characterized by a layered structure.First known use 2011

    Here, we report the extraction of the Al from Ti₃AlC₂ and formation of a new of 2D material that we propose to call "MXene" to emphasize its graphene-like morphology.

    [2011, Michael Naguib, Murat Kurtoglu, Volker Presser, Jun Lu, Junjie Niu, Min Heon, Lars Hultman, Yury Gogotsi, Michel W. Barsoum, “Two-Dimensional Nanocrystals Produced by Exfoliation of Ti₃AlC₂”, in Advanced Materials, volume 23, number 37, →DOI
    1 more example

    Generally, MXenes were synthesized by the chemical etching method where chemical etching agents were used to etch off one of layers within ABC-type trielemental layered compounds.

    2020, Zhaokui Jin, Danyang Chen, Penghe Zhao, Yanyuan Wen, Mingjian Fan, Gaoxin Zhou, Yingshuai Wang, Qianjun He, “Coordination-induced exfoliation to monolayer Bi-anchored MnB2 nanosheets for multimodal imaging-guided photothermal therapy of cancer”, in Theranostics, →DOI

Origin

A contraction of Mₙ₊₁Xₙ, the general formula for these compounds.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

MXene. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/MXene

MLA

“MXene.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/MXene. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “MXene,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/MXene.

Source: MXene on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.