A decade after the first report, the family of two-dimensional (2D) carbides and nitrides (MXenes) includes structures with three, five, seven, or nine layers of atoms in an ordered or solid solution form. Dozens of MXene compositions have been produced, resulting in MXenes with mixed surface terminations. MXenes have shown useful and tunable electronic, optical, mechanical, and electrochemical properties, leading to applications ranging from optoelectronics, electromagnetic interference shielding, and wireless antennas to energy storage, catalysis, sensing, and medicine. Here we present a forward-looking review of the field of MXenes. We discuss the challenges to be addressed and outline research directions that will deepen the fundamental understanding of the properties of MXenes and enable their hybridization with other 2D materials in various emerging technologies.

The world of two-dimensional carbides and nitrides (MXenes)

2D transition metal carbides, carbonitrides, and nitrides, known as MXenes, are a rapidly growing family of 2D materials with close to 30 members experimentally synthesized, and dozens more studied theoretically. They exhibit outstanding electronic, optical, mechanical, and thermal properties with versatile transition metal and surface chemistries. They have shown promise in many applications, such as energy storage, electromagnetic interference shielding, transparent electrodes, sensors, catalysis, photothermal therapy, etc. The high electronic conductivity and wide range of optical absorption properties of MXenes are the key to their success in the aforementioned applications. However, relatively little is currently known about their fundamental electronic and optical properties, limiting their use to their full potential. Here, MXenes' electronic and optical properties from both theoretical and experimental perspectives, as well as applications related to those properties, are discussed, providing a guide for researchers who are exploring those properties of MXenes.

Electronic and Optical Properties of 2D Transition Metal Carbides and Nitrides (MXenes).

There is an ongoing drive to replace the most common transparent conductor, indium tin oxide (ITO), with a material that gives comparable performance, but can be coated from solution at speeds orders of magnitude faster than the sputtering processes used to deposit ITO. Metal nanowires are currently the only alternative to ITO that meets these requirements. This Progress Report summarizes recent advances toward understanding the relationship between the structure of metal nanowires, the electrical and optical properties of metal nanowires, and the properties of a network of metal nanowires. Using the structure–property relationship of metal nanowire networks as a roadmap, this Progress Report describes different synthetic strategies to produce metal nanowires with the desired properties. Practical aspects of processing metal nanowires into high-performance transparent conducting films are discussed, as well as the use of nanowire films in a variety of applications.

Metal Nanowire Networks: The Next Generation of Transparent Conductors

Stretchable electronics are attracting intensive attention due to their promising applications in many areas where electronic devices undergo large deformation and/or form intimate contact with curvilinear surfaces. On the other hand, a plethora of nanomaterials with outstanding properties have emerged over the past decades. The understanding of nanoscale phenomena, materials, and devices has progressed to a point where substantial strides in nanomaterial-enabled applications become realistic. This review summarizes recent advances in one such application, nanomaterial-enabled stretchable conductors (one of the most important components for stretchable electronics) and related stretchable devices (e.g., capacitive sensors, supercapacitors and electroactive polymer actuators), over the past five years. Focusing on bottom-up synthesized carbon nanomaterials (e.g., carbon nanotubes and graphene) and metal nanomaterials (e.g., metal nanowires and nanoparticles), this review provides fundamental insights into the strategies for developing nanomaterial-enabled highly conductive and stretchable conductors. Finally, some of the challenges and important directions in the area of nanomaterial-enabled stretchable conductors and devices are discussed.

Nanomaterial‐Enabled Stretchable Conductors: Strategies, Materials and Devices

The development of transparent p-type oxide semiconductors with good performance may be a true enabler for a variety of applications where transparency, power efficiency, and greater circuit complexity are needed. Such applications include transparent electronics, displays, sensors, photovoltaics, memristors, and electrochromics. Hence, here, recent developments in materials and devices based on p-type oxide semiconductors are reviewed, including ternary Cu-bearing oxides, binary copper oxides, tin monoxide, spinel oxides, and nickel oxides. The crystal and electronic structures of these materials are discussed, along with approaches to enhance valence-band dispersion to reduce effective mass and increase mobility. Strategies to reduce interfacial defects, off-state current, and material instability are suggested. Furthermore, it is shown that promising progress has been made in the performance of various types of devices based on p-type oxides. Several innovative approaches exist to fabricate transparent complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices, including novel device fabrication schemes and utilization of surface chemistry effects, resulting in good inverter gains. However, despite recent developments, p-type oxides still lag in performance behind their n-type counterparts, which have entered volume production in the display market. Recent successes along with the hurdles that stand in the way of commercial success of p-type oxide semiconductors are presented.

/pdf/recent-developments-in-p-type-oxide-semiconductor-materials-4iad1efbja.pdf

Recent Developments in p-Type Oxide Semiconductor Materials and Devices.

In pondering of new promising transparent conductors to replace the cost rising tin-doped indium oxide (ITO), metal nanowires have been widely concerned. Herein, we demonstrate an approach for successful synthesis of long and fine Cu nanowires (NWs) through a novel catalytic scheme involving nickel ions. Such Cu NWs in high aspect ratio (diameter of 16.2 ± 2 nm and length up to 40 μm) provide long distance for electron transport and, meanwhile, large space for light transmission. Transparent electrodes fabricated using the Cu NW ink achieve a low sheet resistance of 1.4 Ohm/sq at 14% transmittance and a high transparency of 93.1% at 51.5 Ohm/sq. The flexibility and stability were tested with 100-timebending by 180°and no resistance change occurred. Ohmic contact was achieved to the p- and n-GaN on blue light emitting diode chip and bright electroluminescence from the front face confirmed the excellent transparency.

/pdf/copper-nanowires-as-fully-transparent-conductive-electrodes-586i84nzpf.pdf

Copper Nanowires as Fully Transparent Conductive Electrodes

MXetronics: Electronic and photonic applications of MXenes

2D MXenes have shown great promise in electrochemical and electromagnetic shielding applications. However, their potential use in electronic devices is significantly less explored. The unique combination of metallic conductivity and hydrophilic surface suggests that MXenes can also be promising in electronics and sensing applications. Here, it is shown that metallic Ti3 C2 MXene with work function of 4.60 eV can make good electrical contact with both zinc oxide (ZnO) and tin monoxide (SnO) semiconductors, with negligible band offsets. Consequently, both n-type ZnO and p-type SnO thin-film transistors (TFTs) have been fabricated entirely using large-area MXene (Ti3 C2 ) electrical contacts, including gate, source, and drain. The n- and p-type TFTs show balanced performance, including field-effect mobilities of 2.61 and 2.01 cm2 V-1 s-1 and switching ratios of 3.6 × 106 and 1.1 × 103 , respectively. Further, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) inverters are demonstrated. The CMOS inverters show large voltage gain of 80 and excellent noise margin of 3.54 V, which is 70.8% of the ideal value. Moreover, the operation of CMOS inverters is shown to be very stable under a 100 Hz square waveform input. The current results suggest that MXene (Ti3 C2 ) can play an important role as contact material in nanoelectronics.

Oxide Thin-Film Electronics using All-MXene Electrical Contacts.

Thin Film Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) Device Using a Single-Step Deposition of the Channel Layer

/pdf/thin-film-complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor-cmos-53xl7xyh0z.pdf

Zhenwei Wang

Papers

Recent Developments in p-Type Oxide Semiconductor Materials and Devices.

Copper Nanowires as Fully Transparent Conductive Electrodes

MXetronics: Electronic and photonic applications of MXenes

Oxide Thin-Film Electronics using All-MXene Electrical Contacts.

Thin Film Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) Device Using a Single-Step Deposition of the Channel Layer