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arXiv · 2607.15581

General and scalable vapor etching and transformation platform for two-dimensional materials

Zhiguo Du·Jikai Zhang·Jonas Björk·Zongju Cheng·Ningjun Chen·Qi Zhao·Hao Chen·Yuxuan Ye·Guang Yang·Haiyang Wang·Bin Li·Johanna Rosen·Shubin Yang
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Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials derived from non-van der Waals (non-vdW) solids offer exceptional physicochemical properties, yet their synthesis is impeded by intrinsic covalent/metallic bonding and high surface reactivity of the precursors. Here, we report a general vapor-phase etching and transformation platform for producing a library of 36 2D carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides, exhibiting electrical conductivities spanning six orders of magnitude. Using reactive vapors like hydrogen chloride, we selectively remove A-layers from MAX phases to yield well-defined layers (MXenes), including previously inaccessible semiconducting Hf2CTx. By varying the reactive vapor environment, MXenes can be engineered at X-site and surface-termination site and even be transformed into non-vdW layers such as 2D MAX phases. This general and scalable vapor-phase platform reframes 2D material synthesis, opening new avenues for various applications.

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Zhiguo Du, Jikai Zhang, Jonas Björk, Zongju Cheng, Ningjun Chen, Qi Zhao, Hao Chen, Yuxuan Ye, Guang Yang, Haiyang Wang, Bin Li, Johanna Rosen, Shubin Yang. 2026-07-17. General and scalable vapor etching and transformation platform for two-dimensional materials. https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.15581

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