T.B. Limbu, J.V. Thomas, F. Yan
University of Houston-CL,
United States
Keywords: Ti₃C₂Tₓ MXene, low thermal conductivity, thermal insulation applications
Summary:
MXenes, a unique family of 2D metal carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides, have attracted considerable interest for device applications owing to their surface termination-dependent physical properties. However, their ability to dissipate heat effectively remains ambiguous. In this study, we present the thermal conductivity measurement of a single nanosheet of multilayer Titanium Carbide (Ti₃C₂Tₓ) MXene using the Raman optothermal technique with a 532 nm laser excitation source. The lattice thermal conductivity of a ~90 nm thick multilayer Ti₃C₂Tₓ MXene nanosheet was determined to be 6.2 ± 0.7 Wm⁻¹K⁻¹, which is significantly lower than that of conventional semiconductor materials like silicon. This low thermal conductivity, combined with the well-known high electrical conductivity of Ti₃C₂Tₓ MXene nanosheets, highlights their potential as promising materials for thermal insulation applications. The underlying reasons for the low thermal conductivity will be explained in terms of phonon transport mechanisms in the surface-terminated MXene crystal structure.