MXenes, two-dimensional nanomaterials discovered at Drexel University, have long been recognized for their extraordinary potential. Over the past decade, they have evolved into one of the most versatile and studied material platforms in the world. With their unique combination of conductivity, strength, and chemical tunability, MXenes are now being deployed in applications ranging from air filtration and water purification to data storage and disease diagnostics. A series of recent Drexel-led breakthroughs, along with a major international partnership, signals their growing impact beyond the lab.
Cleaner Air, Reusable Filters
Drexel engineers have enhanced ordinary polyester air filters with MXene coatings, enabling them to trap ultrafine particles as small as 15 nanometers, including industrial pollutants and airborne viruses. The research, published in C Journal of Carbon Research, also shows that a magnesium salt pretreatment helps form a dense, uniform MXene layer, boosting filtration efficiency by 25 percent.
“Being able to augment a filter through a simple coating process to make it effective against these emissions is a significant development,” said Michael Waring, PhD, professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering.
The team also demonstrated a self-cleaning mechanism: applying a small electric current heats the conductive MXene, burning off trapped particles without damaging the filter.
“This highlights MXene’s versatility as both a filtration enhancer and a material that can support reusable, self-cleaning systems,” said Yury Gogotsi, PhD, Distinguished University and Charles T. and Ruth M. Bach Professor.
Writing Data with Light
A second study, published in Advanced Electronic Materials, uncovered how titanium carbide MXenes can be used in optical memory. The material heats quickly under laser light but cools more than a thousand times slower. By adjusting laser pulses, researchers encoded up to 18 distinct data levels—more than required for 4-bit memory—and erased them by reheating.
“This is not just about how much light the material absorbs,” said Stefano Ippolito, PhD, the study’s lead author. “It is about how the material stores and releases energy after light exposure.”
The prototype could enable low-power data storage and neuromorphic computing, and highlights how subtle changes in MXene chemistry can yield unexpected behavior.
Stronger, Smarter Composites
Researchers have also designed a MXene-infused nanocomposite that combines strength, conductivity, and self-healing properties. Created by Andrew Magenau, PhD, and Michel Barsoum, PhD, the material uses a Voronoi-style pattern to form a continuous MXene skeleton within a vitrimer polymer. It is three times stronger and 50 percent tougher than the base polymer and can self-repair in minutes with heat or seconds with light.
“This raises the question, how can one have the best of both worlds—favorable properties and a low loading and price? We found a way,” Magenau said.
Global Scale for Global Problems
These advances coincide with a new Drexel-led initiative to expand MXene manufacturing and test the material in large-scale applications. The $5 million MX-Innovation project, funded by Khalifa University in the United Arab Emirates, includes partners from Italy’s University of Padua and the Ukrainian MXene manufacturer Carbon-Ukraine.
One focus is water desalination. Ekaterina Pomerantseva, PhD, associate professor of materials science and engineering, is leading efforts to build a pilot-scale system using MXene membranes to remove salt and contaminants more efficiently than current technologies.
“Over time, the need for low-energy, scalable water purification grows more urgent from both economic and humanitarian perspectives,” she said.
MXene membranes developed by postdoctoral researcher Yuan Zhang, PhD, have already demonstrated high salt removal and can be tailored for different water sources.
On the biomedical side, Drexel researchers are working with Lucia Delogu, PhD, and Laura Fusco, PhD, to use MXenes as tags in Cytometry by Time of Flight, or CyTOF. These nontoxic, mass-spectrometry-visible labels attach to cells or cellular structures and could help detect cancer earlier or monitor treatment response more accurately.
“This technique will play a key role in accurately diagnosing and treating diseases,” said Gogotsi.
Manufacturing the Future
A major hurdle for MXene commercialization is production. Carbon-Ukraine will lead development of a low-cost, scalable method for synthesizing the MAX phase precursor materials. The goal is to establish an industrial production process by 2028.
“The demand is there. Now we are building the infrastructure to meet it,” said Oleksiy Gogotsi, PhD, CEO of Carbon-Ukraine.
From smart materials and clean water to next-generation computing and diagnostics, MXenes are proving their versatility. And with Drexel’s leadership, their moment has arrived.
