Anisotropic Superconducting Nb₂CT_x MXene Processed by Atomic Exchange at The Wafer Scale

The recent successful induction of superconductivity in MXenes through surface modification significantly expands the exploration space for MXene-based physical properties. However, relevant investigations were mostly based on powders or cold-pressed pellets, with few about the intrinsic superconductive properties at the nanoscale. Here we show that, after an atomic exchange process of aqueous-acid-synthesized Nb2 CTx in the NH3 atmosphere, the superconductivity can be induced to either the single-flake or the thin film of the Nb2 CTx MXene. The exchange process between nitrogen atoms and fluorine, carbon, and oxygen atoms on the MXene lattice and related structure evolutions were studied using both experiments and density functional theory (DFT). Based on either single-flake or thin-film devices, the anisotropic magnetic response of the two-dimensional superconducting transformation has been successfully uncovered. The anisotropic superconductivity indicates the great potential of MXenes with rich and unique physical properties. Moreover, the processing of the superconducting thin film uniformly over a 4-inch wafer opens up a space for scalable MXene-based devices. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.