Until now, the only known method of producing maxene involved several time-consuming steps, including heating the mixture to 1,600 degrees Celsius and dipping it in hydrofluoric acid. But this method was not suitable for mass production due to the waste disposal problem.

what is the simpler way

The new method, discovered by scientists at the University of Chicago, consists of only one step: mixing several materials with the desired metal and heating it to 925 degrees. This simpler and less expensive way of producing maxenes opens up possibilities for researchers to use these materials with different alloys and ions.

Like a thin puff pastry, the new material consists of an extremely thin layer of metal. By placing different ions between them, engineers can create “electronic croissants” – devices with unusual properties.

Maxena possible easy to change placing ions between layers makes them extremely useful for creating new devices, such as storing electricity or shielding against electromagnetic interference.

The developers have already tested the new method on zirconium and titanium, but are confident that many other interesting combinations can be invented. Discovery of a new method marks a turning point in materials science and opens up new possibilities for the production of metals just one atom thick.

Meanwhile, scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have recently developed a new type of glass that can biodegrade from 3 weeks to 7.5 months. Unlike ordinary glass, which decomposes over thousands of years and pollutes the planet if not recycled, this experimental glass can decompose into its constituent elements.