[News Terms] Maxsin, a New Material Swept Up in the Thematic Stock Craze

Interest in the nanomaterial "MXene," known as the "dream new material," has spread beyond the science and technology community to the stock market. This reflects the high expectations for advanced technology and material development that will lead the Fourth Industrial Revolution, but there are concerns that scientists' research results are being exploited to boost certain companies' stock prices or used as material for theme stocks.

MXene is a nanomaterial composed of transition metals combined with carbon or nitrogen. It was accidentally discovered in 2011 by Professor Yury Gogotsi of Drexel University's Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the United States while dissolving a ceramic rock-like material called MAX. MAX stands for M (metal), A (aluminum), and X (carbon). When MAX is immersed in an aqueous solution containing a strong acid, the aluminum element is removed, and a two-dimensional material with a structure on the order of 1 nm (nanometer; 1 nm is one billionth of a meter) is formed. Functional groups such as oxygen and fluorine molecules remain on the surface of the MXene in the aqueous solution.

MXene is known for its relatively simple manufacturing process and ease of mixing with polymer materials. It has high electrical conductivity and can be combined with various metal compounds to create hundreds or thousands of different types. Depending on the metal and carbon types used in synthesis, MXene exhibits different properties; some MXenes are magnetic, while others show electrical conductivity. Because of this, MXene is expected to be utilized in various industries such as semiconductors, electronic devices, and sensors.

In particular, MXene’s nanoscale size makes it advantageous for miniaturization when applied to semiconductors. Compared to copper, a material commonly used for electrical shielding, MXene weighs about one-fifth as much, making it very lightweight. Therefore, if MXene can be perfectly mass-produced, it is predicted that MXene will replace rare and expensive rare earth elements inside electronic devices and electric vehicles. A similarly noted material is graphene, but MXene has the advantage of being thinner and more flexible in structure and physical properties. However, the development of MXene has been slow because it is difficult to completely remove impurities and produce uniform quality during the manufacturing process.

However, in August, a research team at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) Korea-India Cooperation Center announced research results demonstrating the ability to mass-produce MXene with uniform quality. Although the characteristics of MXene synthesis are not yet fully understood and its lifespan is only about one year, the domestic research team developed an MXene analysis method that can predict the molecular distribution on the MXene surface and classify or modify the production process according to its properties. Until now, the uncertainty in MXene synthesis made it difficult to produce the desired MXene, but now, with the analysis method developed by the KIST research team, it is possible to produce the desired MXene.

Expectations for the possibility of mass production of MXene coincided with the hype around room-temperature superconductors, sparking an investment frenzy that stirred the stock market. Investor interest focused on so-called "MXene theme stocks" such as Huvis, Taekyung Industry, Ninetech, Konic Automation, Kyungdong Invest, Amosense, and Nano, causing some stocks to experience sharp price fluctuations. Despite warnings from financial authorities, some concentration in these stocks continues.

The research team that led the MXene studies reportedly feels bewildered by this atmosphere. The scientific community points out that considering MXene was discovered and studied only a little over a decade ago, it will still take considerable time before successful mass production and commercialization are achieved.