Cold Sintered Ceramic Nanocomposites of 2D MXene and Zinc Oxide

Nanocomposites containing 2D materials have attracted much attention due to their potential for enhancing electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, and thermal properties. 2D materials possess excellent mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties, showing promise for a magnitude of applications when integrated into nanocomposites. The cold sintering process (CSP), a low temperature sintering process for the densification of ceramics, provides a processing environment compatible with nano- and 2D materials. CSP is a pressure-assisted transient liquid phase sintering process, where the aqueous phase undergoes evaporation during sintering. The increase of electrical conductivity with heat treatment in inert atmosphere may result from the change of the concentration of dominant native donors in ZnO.