Catenaa, Monday, November 03, 2025- Researchers are exploring two-dimensional materials called MXenes as a new pathway for cleaner renewable energy and sustainable chemical manufacturing, including ammonia production.
MXenes, composed of transition metal carbides and nitrides, are highly tunable at the atomic level. Scientists at Texas A&M University, led by Drs. Abdoulaye Djire and Perla Balbuena, with Ph.D. candidate Ray Yoo, have shown that adjusting lattice nitrogen reactivity in MXenes can optimize their catalytic properties for electrocatalytic applications.
This fine-tuning allows MXenes to outperform traditional catalysts, which are often costly and less efficient.
By replacing carbon atoms with nitrogen in the lattice, researchers can alter vibrational properties, affecting how molecules interact and move.
These modifications have significant implications for electrochemical processes, including ammonia synthesis from air and water, which could benefit both agriculture and energy storage.
The study combined computational modeling and experimental techniques such as Raman spectroscopy to probe lattice nitrogen activity in nitride MXenes under polar and nonpolar solvents. The team quantified molecular interactions and demonstrated that protonation and replenishment of lattice nitrogen can enable efficient electrochemical ammonia production.
MXenes’ adaptability positions them as strong candidates to replace current electrocatalyst materials, offering a more sustainable and cost-effective approach to chemical manufacturing and energy conversion.
The researchers aim to deepen atom-level understanding of MXenes to guide future design of high-performance, earth-abundant catalysts.
This research was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and supported by the U.S. Army DEVCOM ARL Army Research Office Energy Sciences Competency.
