{"paper_id":"3bcec960-bd8b-47da-ba09-33c53554b165","body_text":"Anisotropic charge transport in few-layer 2D crystals: the case of Ti3C2Tx MXenes | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Anisotropic charge transport in few-layer 2D crystals: the case of Ti 3 C 2 T x MXenes Oriane de Leuze, Fernando Fernandes, Sofiane Arib, Laura Caputo, and 7 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6057230/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 19 Aug, 2025 Read the published version in Communications Materials → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Charge transport in two-dimensional (2D) crystals is critical for a large variety of future applications, and it is therefore highly desirable to get a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms. While the in-plane resistivity of 2D crystals is usually relatively easy to extract, the out-of-plane component is much more difficult to access, especially at the flake-scale. Here, we focus on individual metallic single crystal Ti 3 C 2 T x flakes. Ti 3 C 2 T x belongs to the MXenes family, which has recently garnered significant attention for excellent prospects of applications in printable electronics, energy storage and electromagnetic interference shielding, for which electrical properties play a leading role. To answer the need for experimental data on charge transport in Ti 3 C 2 T x , we combine local-probe measurements (Conductive AFM), conventional four-contact measurements, finite element and ab initio simulations on individual few-layer flakes of Ti 3 C 2 T x . This effort establishes new methods to study charge transport both in in-plane and out-of-plane directions and yields consistent quantitative value of resistivity anisotropy in individual Ti 3 C 2 T x flakes, an essential ingredient in the understanding and modeling of charge transport in MXenes, in particular considering the role of interlayer interactions and surface functionalization in these materials. Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale materials/Two-dimensional materials Physical sciences/Physics/Condensed-matter physics/Electronic properties and materials Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementaryinformationVF.pdf Supplementary information - Anisotropic charge transport in few-layer 2D crystals: the case of Ti 3 C 2 T x MXenes Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 19 Aug, 2025 Read the published version in Communications Materials → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {\"props\":{\"pageProps\":{\"initialData\":{\"identity\":\"rs-6057230\",\"acceptedTermsAndConditions\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"archivedVersions\":[],\"articleType\":\"Article\",\"associatedPublications\":[],\"authors\":[{\"id\":422356041,\"identity\":\"38ffd6be-2a7c-46d6-b1e5-3144b505ced2\",\"order_by\":0,\"name\":\"Oriane de Leuze\",\"email\":\"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABFklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACxgYIyQ7m2TAwQBgSYIRfCzOYl8bAwExQC0wjROVhmBYGnFr4pQ83fi6oYJDtZ2Y+Jvmj4nxifzPzMWmeGos8BunmA9i0SPYlNkvPOMNgPLOZLU1C4sztxBmH2dKkeY5JFDPIHEvApsXgDGODNG8bQ+KGwzxmEoZttxM3MPOYSc5gk0hskMgxwKGl+TfvP4bE/Yf5v0kk/jsH1fIPpCX/Aw4tbdK8DQwglWwSBxsOgLVIfGwD24LV+5I9jG3WQJcbA71gbNlwLBnESLb42CeR2CZzDKvD+HnYH9/mqbGR7W9vfnjzR40diHHwRsK3usR+6eYHWK2BAGxRwIZH/SgYBaNgFIwC/AAAiTZYvgqU1L4AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"UCLouvain\",\"correspondingAuthor\":true,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Oriane\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"de Leuze\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":422356042,\"identity\":\"e7f99e23-85d3-447d-a346-335f4ee741c8\",\"order_by\":1,\"name\":\"Fernando Fernandes\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"UCLouvain\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Fernando\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Fernandes\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":422356043,\"identity\":\"7e4731e9-cca2-43bc-b2b4-5ff13f74a858\",\"order_by\":2,\"name\":\"Sofiane Arib\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"UCLouvain\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Sofiane\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Arib\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":422356044,\"identity\":\"749da656-1a32-42c8-8727-03e847332693\",\"order_by\":3,\"name\":\"Laura Caputo\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"UCLouvain\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Laura\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Caputo\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":422356045,\"identity\":\"5e122c1e-29c8-4d46-8d4b-24f4a63b0ff7\",\"order_by\":4,\"name\":\"Ana Fontes\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"UCLouvain\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Ana\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Fontes\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":422356046,\"identity\":\"9778db3a-07ce-4755-a4d8-f788090df6e0\",\"order_by\":5,\"name\":\"Viet-Hung Nguyen\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6729-3520\",\"institution\":\"Université Catholique de Louvain\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Viet-Hung\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Nguyen\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":422356047,\"identity\":\"077f1634-c4e7-4e20-9b27-40548a20f418\",\"order_by\":6,\"name\":\"Hanna Pazniak\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Grenoble-INP\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Hanna\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Pazniak\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":422356048,\"identity\":\"a5fe7676-7250-40dd-881a-acd2d739b4e7\",\"order_by\":7,\"name\":\"Bernard Nysten\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0421-0334\",\"institution\":\"Université catholique de Louvain\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Bernard\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Nysten\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":422356049,\"identity\":\"58d4f9c9-2b28-47fc-b107-bb6ea81d2a9a\",\"order_by\":8,\"name\":\"Jean-Christophe Charlier\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5749-1328\",\"institution\":\"Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain)\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Jean-Christophe\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Charlier\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":422356050,\"identity\":\"739169d0-866d-4358-94e0-7e4de3460e98\",\"order_by\":9,\"name\":\"Sophie Hermans\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4715-7964\",\"institution\":\"Université catholique de Louvain\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Sophie\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Hermans\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":422356051,\"identity\":\"2e9c1f55-d78a-4e3a-841a-7b33f5b9b996\",\"order_by\":10,\"name\":\"Benoit Hackens\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6121-5126\",\"institution\":\"IMCN/NAPS, Université catholique de Louvain\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Benoit\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Hackens\",\"suffix\":\"\"}],\"badges\":[],\"createdAt\":\"2025-02-18 14:50:51\",\"currentVersionCode\":1,\"declarations\":\"\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6057230/v1\",\"doiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6057230/v1\",\"draftVersion\":[],\"editorialEvents\":[{\"content\":\"https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-025-00902-3\",\"type\":\"published\",\"date\":\"2025-08-19T04:00:00+00:00\"}],\"editorialNote\":\"\",\"failedWorkflow\":false,\"files\":[{\"id\":89456542,\"identity\":\"dc9c3ee8-6c03-443e-ae1a-29519d39c904\",\"added_by\":\"auto\",\"created_at\":\"2025-08-20 07:07:52\",\"extension\":\"pdf\",\"order_by\":1,\"title\":\"\",\"display\":\"\",\"copyAsset\":false,\"role\":\"manuscript-pdf\",\"size\":832731,\"visible\":true,\"origin\":\"\",\"legend\":\"Article File\",\"description\":\"\",\"filename\":\"ArticleVF.pdf\",\"url\":\"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6057230/v1_covered_148d51ff-9a4f-487a-9e67-fe481cf3364c.pdf\"},{\"id\":79267684,\"identity\":\"757852ad-3caf-4254-9f3f-de1d1987d495\",\"added_by\":\"auto\",\"created_at\":\"2025-03-26 10:23:46\",\"extension\":\"pdf\",\"order_by\":1,\"title\":\"\",\"display\":\"\",\"copyAsset\":false,\"role\":\"supplement\",\"size\":647867,\"visible\":true,\"origin\":\"\",\"legend\":\"Supplementary information - Anisotropic charge transport in few-layer 2D crystals: the case of Ti\\u003csub\\u003e3\\u003c/sub\\u003eC\\u003csub\\u003e2\\u003c/sub\\u003eT\\u003csub\\u003ex\\u003c/sub\\u003e MXenes\",\"description\":\"\",\"filename\":\"SupplementaryinformationVF.pdf\",\"url\":\"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6057230/v1/4199d1de2d639ee212f7403c.pdf\"}],\"financialInterests\":\"There is \\u003cb\\u003eNO\\u003c/b\\u003e Competing Interest.\",\"formattedTitle\":\"\\u003cp\\u003eAnisotropic charge transport in few-layer 2D crystals: the case of Ti\\u003csub\\u003e3\\u003c/sub\\u003eC\\u003csub\\u003e2\\u003c/sub\\u003eT\\u003csub\\u003ex\\u003c/sub\\u003e MXenes\\u003c/p\\u003e\",\"fulltext\":[],\"fulltextSource\":\"\",\"fullText\":\"\",\"funders\":[],\"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow\":false,\"hasManuscriptDocX\":false,\"hasOptedInToPreprint\":true,\"hasPassedJournalQc\":\"\",\"hasAnyPriority\":false,\"hideJournal\":false,\"highlight\":\"\",\"institution\":\"\",\"isAcceptedByJournal\":true,\"isAuthorSuppliedPdf\":true,\"isDeskRejected\":\"\",\"isHiddenFromSearch\":false,\"isInQc\":false,\"isInWorkflow\":false,\"isPdf\":true,\"isPdfUpToDate\":true,\"isWithdrawnOrRetracted\":false,\"journal\":{\"display\":true,\"email\":\"info@researchsquare.com\",\"identity\":\"nature-portfolio\",\"isNatureJournal\":true,\"hasQc\":false,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"externalIdentity\":\"\",\"sideBox\":\"\",\"snPcode\":\"\",\"submissionUrl\":\"\",\"title\":\"Nature Portfolio\",\"twitterHandle\":\"\",\"acdcEnabled\":false,\"dfaEnabled\":false,\"editorialSystem\":\"ejp\",\"reportingPortfolio\":\"\",\"inReviewEnabled\":true,\"inReviewRevisionsEnabled\":false},\"keywords\":\"\",\"lastPublishedDoi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6057230/v1\",\"lastPublishedDoiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6057230/v1\",\"license\":{\"name\":\"CC BY 4.0\",\"url\":\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/\"},\"manuscriptAbstract\":\"Charge transport in two-dimensional (2D) crystals is critical for a large variety of future applications, and it is therefore highly desirable to get a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms. While the in-plane resistivity of 2D crystals is usually relatively easy to extract, the out-of-plane component is much more difficult to access, especially at the flake-scale. Here, we focus on individual metallic single crystal Ti\\u003csub\\u003e3\\u003c/sub\\u003eC\\u003csub\\u003e2\\u003c/sub\\u003eT\\u003csub\\u003ex\\u003c/sub\\u003e flakes. Ti\\u003csub\\u003e3\\u003c/sub\\u003eC\\u003csub\\u003e2\\u003c/sub\\u003eT\\u003csub\\u003ex\\u003c/sub\\u003e belongs to the MXenes family, which has recently garnered significant attention for excellent prospects of applications in printable electronics, energy storage and electromagnetic interference shielding, for which electrical properties play a leading role. To answer the need for experimental data on charge transport in Ti\\u003csub\\u003e3\\u003c/sub\\u003eC\\u003csub\\u003e2\\u003c/sub\\u003eT\\u003csub\\u003ex\\u003c/sub\\u003e, we combine local-probe measurements (Conductive AFM), conventional four-contact measurements, finite element and \\u003ci\\u003eab initio\\u003c/i\\u003e simulations on individual few-layer flakes of Ti\\u003csub\\u003e3\\u003c/sub\\u003eC\\u003csub\\u003e2\\u003c/sub\\u003eT\\u003csub\\u003ex\\u003c/sub\\u003e. This effort establishes new methods to study charge transport both in in-plane and out-of-plane directions and yields consistent quantitative value of resistivity anisotropy in individual Ti\\u003csub\\u003e3\\u003c/sub\\u003eC\\u003csub\\u003e2\\u003c/sub\\u003eT\\u003csub\\u003ex\\u003c/sub\\u003e flakes, an essential ingredient in the understanding and modeling of charge transport in MXenes, in particular considering the role of interlayer interactions and surface functionalization in these materials.\",\"manuscriptTitle\":\"Anisotropic charge transport in few-layer 2D crystals: the case of Ti3C2Tx MXenes\",\"msid\":\"\",\"msnumber\":\"\",\"nonDraftVersions\":[{\"code\":1,\"date\":\"2025-03-26 10:23:25\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6057230/v1\",\"editorialEvents\":[],\"status\":\"published\",\"journal\":{\"display\":true,\"email\":\"info@researchsquare.com\",\"identity\":\"communications-materials\",\"isNatureJournal\":true,\"hasQc\":false,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"externalIdentity\":\"commsmat\",\"sideBox\":\"Learn more about [Communications Materials](https://www.nature.com/commsmat/)\",\"snPcode\":\"\",\"submissionUrl\":\"\",\"title\":\"Communications Materials\",\"twitterHandle\":\"\",\"acdcEnabled\":true,\"dfaEnabled\":true,\"editorialSystem\":\"ejp\",\"reportingPortfolio\":\"Communications Series\",\"inReviewEnabled\":true,\"inReviewRevisionsEnabled\":false}}],\"origin\":\"\",\"ownerIdentity\":\"3f0c78ac-a99a-4fab-95cd-43b6aeefd41a\",\"owner\":[],\"postedDate\":\"March 26th, 2025\",\"published\":true,\"recentEditorialEvents\":[],\"rejectedJournal\":[],\"revision\":\"\",\"amendment\":\"\",\"status\":\"published-in-journal\",\"subjectAreas\":[{\"id\":46237000,\"name\":\"Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale materials/Two-dimensional materials\"},{\"id\":46237001,\"name\":\"Physical sciences/Physics/Condensed-matter physics/Electronic properties and materials\"}],\"tags\":[],\"updatedAt\":\"2025-08-20T07:07:46+00:00\",\"versionOfRecord\":{\"articleIdentity\":\"rs-6057230\",\"link\":\"https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-025-00902-3\",\"journal\":{\"identity\":\"communications-materials\",\"isVorOnly\":false,\"title\":\"Communications Materials\"},\"publishedOn\":\"2025-08-19 04:00:00\",\"publishedOnDateReadable\":\"August 19th, 2025\"},\"versionCreatedAt\":\"2025-03-26 10:23:25\",\"video\":\"\",\"vorDoi\":\"10.1038/s43246-025-00902-3\",\"vorDoiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-025-00902-3\",\"workflowStages\":[]},\"version\":\"v1\",\"identity\":\"rs-6057230\",\"journalConfig\":\"researchsquare\"},\"__N_SSP\":true},\"page\":\"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]\",\"query\":{\"redirect\":\"/article/rs-6057230\",\"identity\":\"rs-6057230\",\"version\":[\"v1\"]},\"buildId\":\"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd\",\"isFallback\":false,\"isExperimentalCompile\":false,\"dynamicIds\":[84888],\"gssp\":true,\"scriptLoader\":[]}","source_license":"CC-BY-4.0","license_restricted":false}