General and scalable vapor etching and transformation platform for two-dimensional materials
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.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2607.15581,
title = {General and scalable vapor etching and transformation platform for two-dimensional materials},
author = {Zhiguo Du and Jikai Zhang and Jonas Björk and Zongju Cheng and Ningjun Chen and Qi Zhao and Hao Chen and Yuxuan Ye and Guang Yang and Haiyang Wang and Bin Li and Johanna Rosen and Shubin Yang},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2607.15581},
year = {2026}
}