Discover the forefront of material science and nanotechnology at our NanoGe inaugural symposium, dedicated exclusively to MXenes— groundbreaking two-dimensional (2D) materials that have been at the center of scientific exploration since their discovery in 2011. MXenes, composed of carbides and nitrides with the general formula Mn+1XnTx, where M stands for an early transition metal, X is carbon or nitrogen, n ranges from 1 to 4, and Tx denotes surface-terminating groups, offer an unparalleled array of structural possibilities. With over 100 different configurations determined by the arrangement of metal atoms and further expanded by surface terminations and the potential for solid solutions and mixed terminations, MXenes invite a realm of endless material innovation.
This symposium aims to spotlight the synthesis, characterization, and application of MXenes, highlighting their exceptional adaptability and superior properties that make them indispensable across a broad spectrum of fields including energy storage, environmental tech, electronics, and more. We will delve into the latest research, exploring MXenes' growing impact on domains such as electromagnetic interference shielding, nanocomposites, and beyond. This gathering of world-renowned experts is not merely a discussion on a material class but a deep dive into the materials that are sculpting the future of technology and innovation.
- MXene Synthesis Techniques
- Energy Storage and conversion Innovations
- Environmental Applications
- Biomedical Uses of MXenes
- Photocatalysis and Electrocatalysis Developments
- Nanocomposites and Hybrid Material Research based on MXenes
- Advances in Optoelectronics
Husam Alshareef is a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He is also the Director of the newly-established Center of Excellence in Renewable Energy and Storage Technologies at KAUST. He obtained his Ph.D. at NC State University followed by a post-doctoral Fellowship at Sandia National Laboratories, USA.
He spent over 10 years in the semiconductor industry where he implemented processes in volume production for chip manufacturing. He joined KAUST in 2009, where he initiated an active research group focusing on the development of nanomaterials for energy and electronics applications. His work has been recognized by over 25 awards including the SEMATECH Corporate Excellence Award, two Dow Sustainability Awards, the Kuwait Prize for Sustainable and Clean Technologies, and the KAUST Distinguished Teaching Award. He has published over 600 papers and 80 issued patents. He is a Fellow of several prestigious societies including the American Physical Society (APS), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), US National Academy of Inventors (NAI), Institute of Physics (IoP), Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. He has been a Clarivate Analytics Highly-cited Researcher in Materials Science for several years.
Christina Birkel is an Associate Professor in the School of Molecular Sciences at Arizona State University (ASU) and holds a joint professorship position in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Technische Universität (TU) Darmstadt. In 2024, she was appointed Navrotsky Professor of Materials Research at ASU. Prior to her independent career, she was a Junior Research group leader at TU Darmstadt (Habilitation in 2018), a Postdoctoral Researcher (group of Prof. Galen Stucky) at the University of California, Santa Barbara (Feodor Lynen Research Stipend, Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation) and completed her PhD thesis (group of Prof. Wolfgang Tremel) at the Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz holding a stipend of the Graduate School of Excellence (2010). Her group focuses on the synthesis and structural science of new types of layered solids and two-dimensional materials with a strong focus on carbides and (carbo)nitrides (MAX phases and MXenes), as well as the investigation of their properties including transport (electronic, magnetic), high-temperature and electrochemical behavior.
Hermenegildo García Gómez is a full Professor of the Instituto de Tecnología Química at the Univeristat Politècnica de Valencia. His group has expertise in CO2 utilization developing catalysts for CO2 conversion to methanol and C2+ products. He has published over 800 papers, has received more than 75.000 citations, has an H index of 133 and his name is included continuously since 2015 in the annual list of the most cited Scientists published by the Shanghai-Tomson Reuters. He is the recipient of the Janssen-Cilag award of the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry (2011) and the Rey D. Jaime I award in New technologies (2016). He is doctor honoris causa by the University of Bucharest and Honorary Professor at the King Abdulaziz University since 2015. He was awarded by the Lee Hsun lecturership of the Chinese Academy of Science at Shenyang. He has participated in over 20 EU funded projects and is member of the panel of ERC Consolidator Grant as well as other Comissions and panels. He is President of the international advisory editorial board of ChemCatChem. Several of his publications have constituted research fronts in Chemistry (as defined by Essential Science Indicators) Database, such as Photocatalytic CO2 reduction by non TiO2 photocatalysis, catalysis by MOFs, etc.
Dra. Ana Primo Arnau
Research Group Leader, tenured Scientist. UPV, Valencia
Dr. Ana Primo earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (Spain) in 2006. Following her doctoral studies, she undertook a postdoctoral stint at the Institute Charles Gerhardt in Montpellier, France, from 2007 to 2009. Currently, she holds a tenured position as a scientist at the “Instituto de Tecnología Química” (UPV-CSIC). Together with Professor Hermenegildo García, she founded the HG Energy Group, which she currently leads alongside Professor García.
Her research focuses on the synthesis of 2D materials such as graphene and boron nitride, exploring their applications in catalytic and photocatalytic processes. Notable among her investigations are CO2 reduction for methanol production and water splitting for hydrogen generation. With over 100 publications, Dr. Primo’s work has garnered more than 7,000 citations, reflecting her significant contributions to the field of chemistry, and she has an h-index of 44.
Johanna RosenProf. Zdenek Sofer is tenured professor at the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague since 2019. He received his PhD also at University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czech Republic, in 2008. During his PhD he spent one year in Forschungszentrum Julich (Peter Grünberg Institute, Germany) and also one postdoctoral stay at University Duisburg-Essen, Germany. Research interests of prof. Sofer concerning on 2D materials, its crystal growth, chemical modifications and derivatisation. His research covers various applications of 2D materials including energy storage and conversion, electronic, catalysis and sensing devices. He is an associated editor of FlatChem journal. He has published over 460 articles, which received over 15000 citations (h-index of 61).